The blood of a generation
by Athena'sPride95
Summary: Greek mythology is full of deadly monsters but once you know how to beat them they aren't much of a challenge. Why aren't there ever any new monsters? Can there be? Percy Jackson, Hero of Olympus, is about to discover the chilling answer to both these questions . . . and it will change his life forever.
1. Prologue: looking back on it

**5/12/2015: Hey guys. I know I promised to update Blood of a Generation so I did. I was going to write a new chapter but I looked back and realised how terrible the prologue was so I thought I'd expand it a little more. Sorry. Just indulge me a little, my brain goes all pedantic sometimes.**

**The next update for this will be either SoaH or a new chapter for this, i promise.**

**Athena's wisdom to you.  
Athena'sPride95 **

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Prologue: Looking back on it . . .

**_Old house, Upstate New York; August 12_****_th_****_ 2055, 11:35pm_**

"_Oh I'll burn it all baby to keep you with me,  
devastation greater than the war of 2023. . ."_  
"Tiberius shut that thing up," the teenage girl at the head of the trio of Demigods whispered furiously "we have no idea what could be lurking in here"  
"Aww come on Nova" chided her friend, another girl "leave him be, we all know this is a bum quest"  
"Forgive me for not standing at ease Electra, the Overseer wouldn't have sent us if the threat wasn't here"  
"Well _forgive me_ for not having a fucking ball, being made to wander round this very large, very empty house with little explanation. There's nothing here" she grumped. A few steps later she turned to the boy behind. "Actually you know what? Turn it off" the boy looked up from the screen of his wrist mounted computer.  
"I thought you were on my side?" he demanded but muted the music anyway.  
"I told her not to crap herself over making noise when there is nothing here" Electra pointed out "I'm telling you to turn that shit off because it's pissing me off."  
"Suit yourself, just don't expect me to help you with your next history paper"  
"Oh come on T. I'm only messing. I'm just not in the mood right now" she turned back to the Nova as she opened a door and they crept through into the next room. "What did she even tell you anyway? You didn't even see the Oracle before we left"  
"Not much, she just said that she wanted it kept off the record, apparently she . . ." She stopped abruptly at sound from somewhere else in the house "Did you hear that?"  
"Yeah but it's probably nothing, just old stuff creaking" Electra said, unconcerned.  
"Seriously, where do you think we are, the Glen Cove haunted house ride?"  
"Oh fuck off Nova, this house is so old it's still got wooden furniture in it!"  
"Expensive wooden furniture" Tiberius added, looking closely at a side table in the glow provided by his computer "this stuff is not old. Its custom made."  
"Weird" Electra mumbled "think anyone still lives here?"  
"Nothing for this address on the Hypernet residence directory" Tiberius said.  
Nova grabbed his wrist "you're not online are you?"  
"Relax, the shielding is active"  
"Fine" she let him go and they continued on in awkward silence.

They made their way up the stairs and paused on the landing, listening for any signs of life.  
"All quiet" Nova whispered, holding the door open she let her friends slip in past her. She followed them only to snap to a halt.  
"Something's got me!" she gasped.  
Her friends whipped around only for Electra to laugh "Hold on Princess, I got it" she stepped behind her friend and untangled her long white hair from the hat stand just inside the door. Nova stepped away blushing with embarrassment.  
"And that" Electra said "is why I always keep my hair close cropped, and short styled" running one hand through her short boy cut "doesn't become a weakness in combat"  
Nova was still embarrassed "I suppose there's a practical reason for it being electric blue as well?"  
"Not all of us are _born_ with cool hair snow angel" Electra shot back.  
"I can't choose my parentage" Nova remarked dismissively. She glanced around "it's a bedroom. This is our best chance to find something." They hunted around the room but all they found was some old books, an antique radio/CD player (_who even still uses CDs?),_ an old mp3 player with a flat battery and a wardrobe filled with only black clothing.  
"Geez who owned this place? A funeral director?" Electra remarked closing the wardrobe. She turned and her foot caught on the antique rug. "Ahh!" She flung out an arm to break her fall and smacked against a writing desk. The impact caused a drawer to pop open.  
"Be more careful" Nova hissed.  
"Ok sorry. Geez" she mumbled. She stood, careful not to make any noise, and her eyes flicked to the drawer. Her daughter of Hermes impulses kicking in, she pulled it open completely. Inside was a stack of old looking books, journals.  
"Uhh Nova what are we looking for again?"  
"The overseer didn't say anything beyond information, just look for something out of place."  
"Old journals good enough?" Electra asked, flipping through the pages, looking at the dates "the earliest entries in this are nearly fifty years old"  
"Let me see that" Nova demanded, she snatched the journal, turning it over in her hand "they'll do. Let's leave before our good fortune wears thin"

Journals in hand they exited the bedroom and began back along the corridor.  
"Why do suppose the Overseer wants these?" Tiberius asked.  
"You know what she's like. Probably thinks it'll give us new insight into some mystery of the mythical world or some shit" Electra said "crabby old bitch."  
"Do not speak that way about the Overseer" Nova ordered "she is the most respected Demigod of her generation!"  
"Seriously Nova? Why are we taking these? Whoever wrote them is probably long dead. Why does she want them? Who's even are they?"  
"They're mine" said a quiet voice. All three of them yelled in alarm. Standing right behind them was a young man dressed all in black. "I'd thank you to give them back" he said calmly "also, what are you doing in my house?" Electra didn't know why but she was instantly drawn to the man, feeling the urge to listen to his words and answer the question. She straightened and held out the journal.  
"Sorry about that. We were sent here to look for something but I guess this isn't it."  
"Sent here from Camp Half-Blood?" the young man asked, and there was a dangerous edge to his voice. His eyes seemed to flash with anger.  
**_Red eyes? _**Electra wondered, only half awake all of a sudden.  
"Yeah how'd you know?" she asked dreamily, not making the obvious connection.  
"Watch out!" Nova exclaimed whipping out her weapon and shoving Electra behind her "he's a monster!"  
"Someone paid attention in monster hunting 101" the man remarked with humour in his voice. Then suddenly he was gone, only to appear behind them again "what gave it away?"

"RUN!" Nova yelled and gave Electra a hard shove, dislodging her from her daze, and the three of them took off as fast as they could.  
"What happened to me back there?" Electra asked confused.  
"It has some sort of power" Nova explained matter-of-factly, without breaking stride "at a guess, hypnosis, probably used to seduce prey"  
"Why didn't it effect you two?"  
"Isn't it obvious?" Tiberius said, somehow managing to joke despite running for his life "I'm awesome and Nova is an icy hearted bitch. I don't think it's possible to seduce any of her family." They rushed down the stairs towards the entry way. As they drew near a shadowy figure blocked the door.  
"How'd he get there so fast?" Tiberius exclaimed as they skidded to a halt. Electra looked back, at the top of the stairs stood another figure, the male.  
"He didn't, there's two of them!" The unknown figure in the doorway grinned wickedly and fangs flashed in the moonlight filtering through a window.  
Electra looked around desperately. "Crap" she sighed "follow me!" and she charged straight for the window. The others followed, not wishing to stay caught between two potentially deadly monsters. Electra took a flying leap at the window, shattering the glass, and rolling upright as the landed. The others scrambled out after her and the three of them ran. They didn't stop until they reached their car. Even then they dove inside and roared away as quickly as they could. From the window the two figures watched, embracing each other, as the Demigods fled.  
"You let them go didn't you?"  
"Maybe" said the young man "but I think we should go after them. I need to send someone the bill for our window."

After an hour of frantic driving the three Demigods pulled to the side of the road, relaxing at last now that they were surely out of harm's way.  
"What in Hades was that?" Tiberius demanded, forcing his hands to unclench from around the steering console.  
"I have no idea" Nova admitted "perhaps those journals we recovered will provide some insight?"  
"Are you sure we should be reading them?" Electra asked.  
"We have to now!" Tiberius exclaimed, swivelling the driver's seat to face the two of them "you've gotten me curious!"  
"Fine." The three of them huddled together; they opened the first journal to the first entry and, with only a brief hesitation, began to read:

_July 20__th__ 2016_

_People change. I'm not being philosophical it's a simple fact of life. Whether they want to or not every single person changes, they grow up, they experience life, they get old blah, blah. Of course some of the most significant changes are those we make for the ones we love and that goes for me too. I've always liked to think that she loved me for me just the way I was, but I can't deny that I have changed over time too, tried to be less clueless and more of the man she deserved. I must have done something right because she's stuck with me despite all of the fights. And more than one attempt to kill each other. Of course some changes are unavoidable, usually the biological ones, whilst some come about as the result of the individuals, events and experiences in our lives. These are the ones that are the most drastic and most noticeable._

_Gods I look melodramatic writing like this. But that's just something else I suppose. Since I started writing this journal, diary, whatever you want to call it I haven't changed that much. I've discovered more about myself and I've made choices that have left me both happy and hating my own guts. I wouldn't even have this journal but I decided to keep one. You know, in light of the biggest change of my entire existence. And I'll continue to write it for many, many, many years to come._

_I've never really considered it properly until now, too many bad memories, but I suppose it would be a good idea to leave a complete account both for my own sake and so that anyone else who may get hold of this in years to come will know the truth. Though that may depend entirely on _who _acquires them._

_Where to start? Well I guess the best place would be on my last quest; to Springfield Massachusetts. It was a simple enough thing, all of us knew the drill by then, satyr finds demigods, satyr scents monsters they can't deal with alone, satyr asks for help and we go in to help bring them back to camp alive. It was going well too, no problems getting there or finding the school or anything like that. Looking back on it I can think of a few things I would have done differently._

_Then again maybe I wouldn't . . . _


	2. Chapter 1: Too much School spirit

**Finally! This book has given me more trouble than anything else I've written. Writer's block can be most disabling. Anyway after months of stagnation and a sudden burst of inspiration the next chapter is finally complete. Please read and review I would love to know what you think. **

**Athena's wisdom to you.  
-Athena'sPride95**

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Chapter 1: Too much school spirit can kill someone

"RUN!" I yelled, slamming open the double doors and allowing Annabeth to rush past me with two terrified looking teenagers and a screaming satyr in tow. I looked back down the corridor we had come from to see the entire school cheerleading squad racing towards us, a very familiar dark skinned girl in the lead. All of them looked majorly pissed hissing, baring sharp fangs, eyes glowing red as they sprinted towards us getting way too close way too quickly. Needing to slow them down I ducked through the doorway and shut the doors quickly, unsheathing riptide and wedging it through the handles to keep them closed. I figured that gave us about two minutes from when I ran before it would return to my pocket. Great, in a school this size it was just enough time for us to get lost. I ran down the corridor looking left and right for possible escape routes. We needed one fast. I rounded the bend and nearly ploughed headlong into Annabeth who had stopped and was waiting with her dragon tooth sword at the ready.

"Hades, Annabeth!" I yelped stopping as fast as I could to keep from getting impaled "careful with that thing"  
"Sorry" she lowered the tip "where are they?"  
I jerked a thumb back up the corridor "I blocked the door with riptide, so I reckon we've got about" I checked my watch "a minute till they're on our asses again". Casting a quick glance over the group assembled behind her and noticed that one of our party was missing. "Where's shrub?"  
Annabeth snorted "that cowardly satyr kept running, said he wasn't sticking around".  
The four of us started jogging again "Can't really blame him" I admitted "even I've never seen this many Empusaii in one place before, there's like twelve of them!"  
"Still, that's no excuse for cowardice. Grover wouldn't have abandoned us" she was right of course. Our oldest satyr friend, Grover Underwood, had often been scared out of his wits when he'd accompanied us on our adventures but he had stuck with us through worse situations than this. I think.

A bell rang and students began filing out of classrooms on either side of us.  
Annabeth stowed her weapon "let's blend with the crowd and get to the field as quickly as possible"  
"Definitely" I agreed. Then I felt something drop into my pocket and I knew Riptide was back "they'll be on us again soon" I muttered in her ear taking out my pen to show her.  
"Crap. Alright then let's get out of here fast".  
At this point one of the kids with us, Steven I think his name was, regained his senses enough to ask indignantly "Are either of you nut jobs, at any point, going to tell us what the hell is going on and why my girlfriend and her cheerleading buddies are trying to kill us?"  
I glanced over my shoulder at him and almost laughed at the look on his face. It's weird looking back on it and realising that I was once just as confused about the world of demi-gods as this guy.  
"I'll explain when we're safe kid, for now what's the fastest way to the sports field?"  
"Through the Gymnasium, why?"  
"Which way?" I asked ignoring his question for time's sake.  
"Look" he growled getting irritated "I ain't telling you shit until…"  
He never finished though because Annabeth cut him off "there they are!"

I looked back and spotted the cheerleading squad wading through the crowd towards us, they didn't seem to have spotted us yet but they seemed to have come to the same conclusion as we had and if they got any closer they would certainly see us.  
"We need a way to clear this crowd" Annabeth decided as a particularly burly boy shoved past her "and a distraction". I glanced around frantically until I spotted a sign indicating the fire exit was in the opposite direction to the one we were travelling "Time for a fire drill" I grunted slamming my elbow into the fire alarm as we passed it. Alarm bells started ringing and a couple of girls screamed as the sprinklers kicked in. The crowd all began to move in one direction grumbling, talking and being stupid but most importantly slowing down the girls trying to get to us.  
A passing teacher spotted the cheerleaders and called "come on girls outside, this one isn't a drill". Apparently unwilling to blow their human cover just yet I watched as they turned away and followed him. Breathing a sigh of relief I ducked into an empty classroom after Annabeth and the others who were by this point soaked through even though I was perfectly dry.

"Ok" Annabeth whispered "once the corridors are clear we head up to the gymnasium and out across the sports field. We can be on the pegasii and gone in a couple of minutes".  
"Yeah, Just one thing" I reminded her "we don't know the way", turning back to Steven I asked him whether he was going to tell us the way. He just stared daggers at me. Then the other kid, Cuthbert (Poor kid; Athena does pick the weird ones sometimes. Don't kill me Annabeth), spoke for the first time.  
"It's right up the corridor, turn left and follow it to the end"  
"Thanks" Annabeth said quietly resting a reassuring hand on her sibling's shoulder. I nodded and moved back to the doorway, opening it and peeking out onto a deserted corridor, wet but completely clear.  
"Go" I said opening the door wide and moving back out of the classroom, but we hadn't even gone three doors down before a furious hiss made us all turn to look back, at the end of the corridor stood the empusaii kill team with the dark skinned girl up front leering at us.  
"Nice try Percy" called Kelli (Damn but that bitch was persistent) "But no dice. Come back here, I still owe you that kiss and I wanted to introduce my girls here to your friends."  
Steven, stepped forward looking furiously between me and Kelli "What are you talking about Kelli? Are you saying you know this asshole?"  
_That's not necessary _I thought.  
Kelli laughed "Oh Stevie honey, didn't I mention? Percy and I have a history"  
"Yeah and not a pleasant one" I finished "don't listen to her kid she's messing with you." I told Steven grabbing him by the shoulders and steering him away. "Sorry" I called over my shoulder "we'd love to kill you a third time and put you at the top of the list for most stubborn monsters but we've got to go. Run" I muttered the last and gave the demigods a hard shove to get them running again, the empusaii came after us.  
"They're gaining on us" Annabeth yelled to me.  
We rounded a corner and saw double doors ahead "There's the gym".  
"No duh" responded Annabeth and we slammed through. About half way across the basketball court a dozen red eyed women burst in behind us. "We'll never make it across the field with them this close" she panted skidding to a halt and bringing her weapon out. It was clear she was right. I had to think of a way for them to get out. I looked up at the sprinklers in the ceiling girders, still soaking the gym and a thought occurred to me.

"Keep going. I've got an idea"  
Annabeth, sensing another of my crazy plans which of course was a correct assumption, grabbed my arm. "Are you crazy?" She directed her gaze over the demon cheerleaders who had stopped on the command of Kelli and were watching us with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. Waiting to see what we were planning no doubt.  
"Even you can't handle that many!"  
"I'll be fine" I told her, which was basically a lie "You just need to get them out of here"  
"No way" she growled.  
"Annabeth please this is no time for you to be stubborn, please I'm just going to buy you a couple of minutes then I'll be right behind."  
"I'm getting them to safety then I'm coming right back" she insisted.  
"Annabeth" I groaned exasperated "just g…"  
"I'M BORED" Kelli announced loudly from the gym entrance. She flicked her wrist lazily in our direction "Just kill them already".  
Eleven demon girls all hissed and leaped at us in unison. On instinct I thrust up my hands redirecting the water from the sprinklers into an airborne tidal wave that slammed them all aside.  
"Get going!" I yelled at the three of them. It was the last thing I had a chance to say before the empusaii were on their feet and on the attack again. I ended up taking on six of them at once, dodging attacks and slashing at any that came within striking distance. Unfortunately empusaii are considerably smarter than your average monster and knew not to come too close and yet keep the pressure on me. In my peripheral vision I could see the other five advancing on Annabeth who was being dragged away across the gym by the other two boys.

I redirected another jet from the sprinklers to blast their attackers then lost sight of them completely as my face was nearly bitten off. I spun away from the offending empusa and brought Riptide in and upward slash through her midriff. She broke into dust instantly and was washed all over the gym by the sprinklers. Somewhere to my left a door slammed and I knew I could now focus on getting out of here as quickly as possible. I parried another attack and riposted, cutting off a girl's head and literally smashed another into dust with a high velocity funnel cloud of water which broke her apart on the gym floor. I was pleased to see that the others didn't look so keen on attacking me directly anymore. Then the sprinklers shut off. I guess the staff must have figured out there wasn't really a fire and reset the system. One demon seemed to think that without the water I couldn't defend myself and sprang at me again. I swiftly proved her wrong, knocking her to the floor with a wave and stabbing her through the heart. Looking up I saw that the rest of them were backing away now, looking in shock at their dead sisters. Kelli locked eyes with me and I could see all the rage and hatred for me in them. With a final hiss she snapped her fingers, she and her minions erupted in matching columns of fire and vanished.

I straightened cautiously and cast around the gym for enemies, scarcely daring to believe that I'd won so easily. Apparently I had; fatal assumption to make. I sheathed riptide as the doors to the field banged open again and Annabeth charged in weapon drawn. She stopped abruptly when she noticed the gym was empty. She stared around dumbfounded.  
"What happened?" It took me a moment to reply as I was still trying to figure that out myself.  
"I don't really know. I killed four of them and the others just bugged out. I guess Kelli didn't want to lose any more minions". Annabeth looked about as convinced as I felt with that statement.  
"Seriously? It's not like her to just back off, much less run away."  
"I know" I agreed "but don't look a gift horse in the mouth"  
"What the heck is that supposed to mean?"  
"I don't really know" I said smiling "just something I heard Katie Gardner say the other day. Come on let's get out of here before our luck runs out". And that's what jinxed it. As I finished speaking a light flared behind me and I felt a sudden heat on my back.  
A voice whispered in my ear "It already has" then Kelli sank her fangs deep into my neck.  
"Percy!" Annabeth screamed, starting forward. The pain was instant and agonising like someone had just rammed a pair of red hot pokers right into my jugular. In pain and rage I grabbed Kelli's Ponytail and hauled her over my shoulder, her fangs exiting my neck with a sickly sucking noise. I tried to stamp on her head but she rolled away, came up crouching and snapped her fingers again.

The remaining seven empusaii reappeared, some facing me the rest facing Annabeth to prevent her from getting close.  
"Percy hang on!" she called to me "just let me deal with these bitches!"  
"Just Go" I told her, there was no way she was getting herself killed just because I was an idiot and let my guard down. I drew riptide with my right hand but my left was still clamped over my neck wound which was gushing blood all over my shoulder and onto the floor, sapping my strength in the process. If they all attacked now I didn't have a hope.  
"Keep her away" ordered Kelli "this is personal" they began to slash and lunge at Annabeth forcing her back towards the field access door.  
"No!" she yelled trying to get past them, but to no avail.  
"It's all right Annabeth I'll be fine" more lies.  
"Ohh look at you" Kelli mocked "tough talk considering you're mortally wounded. Time to die Percy" she licked my blood off her lips and stuck out at me. I dodged repeatedly using what little strength I had left just to stay alive. The door slammed shut and the locks were rammed home, I could hear Annabeth hammering on the other side but Kelli's friends turned and began to close on me in a contracting semicircle.  
"She's not coming this time" Kelli taunted "and guess what. When I'm done with you, she's next"  
"NO!" there was no way I was going to let Kelli harm Annabeth. I swung my sword but my head was throbbing and my arms were weak from blood loss. The slash was way off the mark and Kelli merely sidestepped sneering at me in disgust. She attacked once more and I tried to counter but she grabbed my arm and twisted it viciously. I yelled and dropped Riptide.

I knew I was done for then, and she knew it too. Disarmed and barley able to stand. She stepped forward and simply backhanded me across the face, laughing with glee. I fell to the floor and whacked my head again, making it throb even harder and momentarily blurring my vision. I tried desperately to get up but Kelly planted a Reebok high-topped foot on my chest and pushed me down, still laughing.  
Eventually she stopped laughing and wiped a tear from her eye "so this is how it ends for the mighty Percy Jackson" she cackled crouching lower "you know, I fantasised for so many years about taking a bite out of you Percy but I never believed I'd be the one to _end _you!" She cupped a hand to my cheek as someone would to a lover, but the touch was anything but affectionate "I'd prepared myself for another express ride to Tartarus but I guess tonight was my night. Goodbye Percy"  
I closed my eyes and waited for the end. I know it was a cowardly thing to do but I didn't want her fangs to be the last thing I ever saw. It didn't happen like that though.  
Instead I heard the main door to the gymnasium swing open again and an astonished "What the . . ." from Kelli.  
I forced my eyes open to see that Kelli had straightened up again and was facing the entrance to the gymnasium. Curious despite my situation, I struggled to turn my head and look for myself.

A tiny girl of about eight years old was standing in the doorway. This in itself was weird as this was a high school and there were no kids that young. Her appearance seemed off too. She had long golden hair that hung in braided pigtails on her shoulders, thick rimmed glasses and an all-black private school uniform which was a stark contrast to her deathly pale skin. I wanted to tell her to run, I tried, but instead I only managed to cough up blood. Her eyes fixed on me momentarily but I couldn't read any expression in them, I couldn't even tell what colour they were, just black.  
"Who in Hades are you?" Kelli demanded.  
The girl looked back at her and spoke with a high yet emotionless voice that made what little blood I had left run cold "Your destruction Kelli"  
"My destruction?" gasped Kelli barley able to speak for laughing "Oh really? The little clear sighted mortal is going to kill me?" she fell to her knees, she was laughing so hard. Wow, she must have really been riding high on killing me because even in my state I could tell that the creepy little girl shouldn't be taunted. She didn't even register that the girl knew her name.  
Her fits of laughter cut off abruptly "this is pathetic" she said "kill her"  
"No" I croaked feebly. Not that it helped. I could barely hear myself so there was no way anyone else could hear my protest. All seven of the empusaii, Kelli not included, charged at once and closed over the girl in a matter of seconds. She never had a chance.

All of a sudden a violet light blossomed inside the football huddle of demons and with simultaneous screams of pain the empusaii were airborne, flying across the gym in all directions. I could not believe what I was seeing; at first I thought it was some near death hallucination. The tiny girl was floating a good three feet off the ground, her eyes glowing with power behind her glasses. Her arms were raised weird, almost Celtic, looking symbols adorned them like glowing purple tattoos still crackling with the vestiges of the magical blast.  
"HOW DARE YOU!" she bellowed her voice resonant and terrifying despite being that of a small girl "you would attack your own mistress? On top of all your other treachery and defiance?"  
**_Mistress? _**I thought my brain only able to sustain one thought at a time through the pain, **_Hecate?  
_**Empusaii who had been struggling back to their feet mere seconds before suddenly looked terrified dropping to their knees and cowering on the floor. I have to admit I was pretty much crapping myself at that point. I mean I'd met Circe and seen her magic but that seemed like a mere party trick compared to the display of power her mother had just given. The only Empusa still standing was Kelli.  
"Hecate, I didn't defy you, you betrayed us. You promised us all the young men we could feast on when Cronus won and what happened when he fell? You went crawling back to the gods. When Gaea came along she offered us the same deal but did you accept? No! We're not the ones in the wrong here . . . right girls?" but the others suddenly seemed to be in no hurry to agree with her.

A look of worry appeared on Kelli's face then. She grabbed me and hauled me into a sitting position, which made my head spin and my vision blur again. Still I was in no condition to resist, I was barely conscious. "Fine. You might send me back to the Pit again but you're not saving him, I'm taking him with me" I could feel her sliding towards my neck again but before she could finish me off Hecate spoke again.  
"Tartarus?" the question sounded rhetorical, I think, "no Kelli you and the rest of these unfaithful have gone too far" her twin torches materialised in her hands "I shall scorch you from existence!"  
"What?" for the first time Kelli sounded scared. Hecate began to move her torches through the air in a strange pattern, the markings on her arms aglow once more and spoke in a chanting rhythm like some kind of ritual.  
"_Born by my hand,  
by my hand undone.  
Unfaithful scourged,  
the deed done.  
The failures are cleansed,  
the aberrations gone.  
By the fire of my torch,  
the conclusion foregone!"  
_She swept the torches through the air in front of her and a roiling wall of flame erupted, rushing across the gymnasium toward us and engulfing anything in its path, yet I felt no heat from the flames. Empusaii screamed as they were burned right out of existence and I crashed back to the floor as Kelli was vaporised beside me.

Absolute silence engulfed the gymnasium; even Annabeth's hammering had long since stopped. A small part of my brain that was still functioning and managing to be ADHD was amazed that no one else had come in here yet. By then though it didn't really matter as I was barley holding on. My vision was constantly blurring and refocusing, shifting despite me best efforts to focus on Hecate.  
She descended to the floor muttering to herself "too rash, the balance is upset". She touched down lightly and began to walk toward me. Her torches were gone and the markings were vanishing from her skin. I couldn't tell if it was just my vision being on the fritz but as she moved she seemed to split into three girls all walking in unison. When she reached me she solidified again. She gazed down at me and I swear I could see pity in her face.  
Her voice remained emotionless "Perseus, I am truly sorry but you are going to die"  
the matter-of-factness of the statement finally rammed it home for me. I couldn't stop myself. Tears began to well up in my eyes. I was never going to see Annabeth, or my mother, or my friends again. I'd never get to say goodbye, and they wouldn't even really know what happened much less have a body to give the proper honours too.

Hecate's glasses flashed in the light as she stood over me, surveying me.  
"I can offer you an alternative" she said quietly, so quietly I almost missed it. I was suddenly desperate for the slightest glimmer of hope, wanting to hear what she had to say. Behind her the air suddenly split open and another figure emerged from the blackness. "Hold Thanatos" Hecate ordered without looking around, keeping her eyes on me. I was sure she could see my fear.  
"I apologise lady Hecate" replied the black winged figure of Thanatos, consulting his tablet computer "but my Lord Hades has been waiting for this a long time"  
"I will speak with Hades" Hecate retorted, the barest trace of impatience in her voice "go. You may return _if _you are needed"  
Silence.  
"Very well" Thanatos agreed at last "I shall wait. But not long" and he stepped back into the black portal and vanished.  
Hecate then spoke to me again "the balance is disturbed. It must be restored" she crouched next to me so close I could see my own bloodied face in her glasses. "I can offer you salvation, but only if you accept and give yourself to me. This is your final crossroads Perseus, decide. You may die here or you can let me in, and live on". It was taking too long for my dying brain to process what she was telling me. I just stared at my own confusion reflected in her glasses. She removed them so I could see the orbs of obsidian set into her pale face. "Decide Hero, Thanatos will not wait long."

You know people always say that right before you die there's that moment when your entire life flashes before you? Yeah, well I had that cliché moment right then. I saw my childhood pass in front of me. My mother smiling and laughing, the day of the museum trip, training at camp, the Sea of Monsters, Thalia, the Labyrinth, Calypso, the battle for Manhattan, me and Annabeth at the bottom of the lake together, our underwater kiss. I saw Camp Jupiter, my Roman friends, the quest for the legion standard, the journey to Rome, Tartarus, and the fall of the Giant king and the placation of Gaea. You get the idea. I didn't want it all to end, I had too many memories I wanted to keep and too many still too make. I struggled to lift my arm, reaching out a hand towards Hecate. She caught it in her tiny child hands and smiled at me slightly. I blinked then, and when I opened my eyes she was gone. ******_  
A hallucination, _**I thought **_my last hope wasn't real._**  
"Annabeth" **_I'm sorry. _**The last of my strength vanished, my hand dropped and I slid into the all-consuming blackness closing around my mind.


	3. Chapter 2: Eulogies for the Damned

**UPDATED 11/09/2014: I went back and changed a few details because what was written here was making planning the next chapter difficult. Enjoy the changes.**

**This is officially the hardest book I have ever written. I have never had an instance where I have re-drafted and changed direction and tone ****_so many times!_**** It is here now though and long too.  
Please read and review so that I know this isn't terrible (or if it is as the case may be)**

Athena's Wisdom to you.  
-Athena'sPride95

* * *

Chapter 2: Eulogies for the Damned

Ok so this is where things start to get weird.

There were voices above me, one male and one female, though everything was still black and they sounded echoey like people talking inside a cave. The man though was clearly REALLY angry.  
"This is an outrage!" he roared, the sound made my ears ring which didn't help because I was already struggling to understand anything. "You did not clear this with me first. You did not even consult me! And what's more you took the materials from _my _kingdom." I couldn't tell whether it was the way the man spoke or something else but I recognised the male. Unfortunately the parts of my brain that weren't completely dead weren't capable of remembering and listening at the same time. "Frankly this is nothing more than an abomination! My brother will have your head when he sees what you have done." The female voice was calm but there was an undertone of tension that gave away she was close to losing her temper too.  
"Calm yourself, all of us know that a balance must be maintained. Besides I would not have even considered it had the boy not consented to it."  
The man wasn't giving an inch "he was delirious and minutes from death! He was just being typically mortal and failing to accept the inevitable."  
The lady snapped "That's enough! I will not hear a word against him. I have work to complete, we can argue at another time."  
"Not really a he anymore though is it?" the male voice mumbled. There was a long silence that was awkward even for me, the dead guy. "Very well" he snapped again "but we're not done talking about this." That was all I could manage. I finally surrendered completely and fell back into blackness again.

I sat bolt upright in my bunk feeling very cold and very alone. My first thought when I fully regained consciousness was that was quite possibly the most vivid and terrifying dream I had ever had. The second was that I must have woken up pretty early because it was still the middle of the night outside my cabin.  
**_Oh man, now I'll never get back to sleep. What time is it anyway?  
_**I rubbed my face groggily and turned to check the time on my alarm clock only to find a woman in black, sitting in a chair beside my bunk, reading nonchalantly as if she had every right to be there.  
"Well how do you feel?" she asked casually. My brain, moving at the approximate speed of a glacier, took a full two seconds to compute. When it finally did I almost crapped myself. I think I yelled something incomprehensible and fell backwards off my bunk, cracking my head against the floor with a sound like a rock on rock. I recovered as quickly as I could scrambling to my knees and peeking over my bunk at the woman. Cowardly I know but how brave would you feel if you'd just woken from a dream where you'd died to find some random woman _two feet from where you_ _slept?_ She hadn't looked up from whatever she was reading but as I watched the possibility of a smile touched the corner of her mouth.  
"That's a rather undignified way to start out isn't it?" she asked flatly, still not bothering to look up.

That pissed me off "Well excuse me for my lack of manners lady but what are you doing in my cabin?"  
"I'm not in your cabin" she snapped the book closed irritably "and you failed to answer my question". For some reason the sound made me once in part because I had a hangover style headache, but also out of a fear of something I couldn't place. Cautiously, I crawled back onto my bunk suddenly possessed with the urge to answer this woman's questions immediately and honestly.  
"I feel fine, great in fact" now I considered it I felt better than I had in ages. I felt like I could wrestle the entire Ares cabin at once.  
"Good. Then the procedure was successful. To be honest I was concerned your spirit would not take. The righteous rarely goes hand in hand with the monstrous."  
"What in Hades name are you on about lady? And why are in my cabin anyway?" Wrong thing to say.  
The woman suddenly looked up from the cover of the book she had been reading. I met a pair of Obsidian black eyes and realised instantly who I had been talking too. I _emphatically _regretted being rude to her. She snapped her fingers and my cabin dissolved around me, melting away to be replaced with a room completely different. For a moment I thought I was in the underworld. The room was all dark purples and blacks, decidedly gloomy. I continued to gaze around the room and saw that most of the darkly coloured drapery and even the majority of the surfaces had strange designs on them. Black candles with odd violet flames floated – apparently of their own free will – around the room. Against one wall was a floor to ceiling bookshelf filled with very difficult looking books and against another was some weird thing covered in tubing and beakers and piled with odd looking ingredients that I suspected was an alchemy table.  
**_Yep _**I thought **_Hecate. And that means I'm in big trouble._**

I looked back towards the goddess and spotted a window over her shoulder. Through it I caught a glimpse of a stunning vista of Mount Olympus. The throne room must have been above Hecate's palace because out of the window the view was one of streets houses, gardens and smaller palaces stretching down to a pair of familiar elevator doors suspended in space.  
**_Wait Mount Olympus? Why here?_ **I focused on Hecate again.  
Cautious I asked "What's going on?"  
"Do you not remember?" she asks. I tried to remember my dream, but it had faded frustratingly quickly once I came too.  
"No" I told her honestly "I don't", the goddess didn't move but her form flickered momentarily to that of an eight year old private school girl with glasses, then back again. It was enough to send the memories crashing into my head like a freight train. I clapped my hands to my head unable to hold in a scream as the pain I had experienced in my dying moments lance through me again and again. When it finally subsided I was left shaking on Hecate's four poster feeling like I wanted to vomit.  
"I died" it wasn't a question. I had no doubt it had happened. My real question at that moment was "why am I here?" Hecate regarded me coldly with those unreadable obsidian globes. It made me very uncomfortable.  
"You know the answer to that as well Perseus"  
"Yes I do" I realised "you offered me a way out . . . and I took it"  
"That is correct".

I looked down at my hands disgusted with myself.  
**_How could I have been so selfish?_** I asked the next question, though at this point I was dead certain I would hate the answer.  
"What _exactly _did you do to me?"  
Hecate took a moment to respond as though she had to actually consider her reasons "I readdressed the balance Perseus. The world exists in a more delicate state than even you are aware of".  
I scowled involuntarily **_oookay that means nothing to me. _**  
"Do not scowl at me" Hecate said icily. Led by an instinct stronger than self-preservation I obeyed and forced my brow to straighten.  
"Sorry, but really what did you do to me?" Her emotionless visage cracked slightly and I thought I could see something; pity? She gestured and a hand mirror extricated itself from a draw in her dresser and flew to her hand.  
"Prepare yourself and take a look" she warned offering me the mirror. Suddenly I really didn't want to know. But I had to. Gingerly I took the mirror from her and looked into it. At first I couldn't see a difference but the moment I did I dropped the mirror in horror. At least I think my initial reaction was horror. I gaped at the magic goddess but she merely leaned over picked up the mirror and handed it back to me. I looked again, this time actually taking note of the differences. Some were subtle. I looked slightly older, twenty or so, my features more defined. A few of the smaller scars I had accumulated over the years had vanished. In fact my skin was completely flawless. Some of the differences were visible though, _very _visible. I was intensely pale, almost white, so I looked more like Nico Di Angelo's older brother or a child of Khione instead of Poseidon's son. At first my eyes seemed the same sea green they'd always been. Then I blinked and almost yelled in shock. Again.  
**_Oh Gods. _**My eyes had turned blood red. On an impulse I bared my teeth; as many of them as possible. They were all pearly white and perfectly straight, except for my upper Canines which were now ¾ of an inch long and wickedly sharp.

"OH SWEET GODS OF OLYMPUS! I'M A FUCKING VAMPIRE!"  
Hecate tensed, the pity vanishing from her face, she snatched the mirror away "moderate your language Perseus!" she snapped at me.  
"Moderate my language!" I couldn't believe her "you've turned me into a monster and you want me to moderate my fucking language?" I yelled just to show how little I cared about civility at that moment.  
"Archetype" Hecate corrected in a voice of deadly calm, which shut me up more effectively than yelling, "And you WILL keep a civil tongue or the first thing I'll have you do is test a new selection of poisons I've been experimenting with". I clammed up quickly but the anger was still simmering. After a moment of glaring at me the magic goddess relaxed again. "Technically you are empousa. The first of an entirely new breed, a creature the likes of which has not been seen on Earth for more than two millennia", I was incensed by the hint of pride in her voice as she spoke and it threatened to break through but I bit down on it. "But if you must be so "pop culture" then yes you are a vampire". She was so frank about it that all I could do was stare at one of the bedposts and rage for a few moments.  
Eventually I managed to calm down "so I'm a vampire now? Which means what for me exactly?" Hecate cocked her head to one side slightly as though the question puzzled her.  
"Whatever you want it to"  
"No. I mean physically"  
"I am not entirely sure. It has been millennia since a new archetype has formed. I created you but I confess even I do not know the full extent of your abilities."  
"Great"  
Hecate raised a hand "I can tell you this though. As Apollo's chariot is woven from human ideas about the sun, so your makeup is also in part composed from human ideas about vampires", I blanched as I thought of _Twilight_ but the goddess seemed to read my mind because she said "you are not going to sparkle in the sun, I made a concerted effort to prevent that. However I strongly recommend that you acquaint yourself with modern mortal vampire lore." She handed me the book she had been reading "may I recommend this rather interesting volume as a reasonable starting point?"

The book she handed me was clearly old; it reminded me of the books that Annabeth would sometimes read that dated back to the 17 and 1800s. This one though was in decidedly better condition, almost fresh from the bookbinders. I turned it over and looker at the cover _Bram Stoker's Dracula._ I rolled my eyes. I was reminded of all the things I'd heard about Dracula, none of them pleasant.  
"Great" I said not bothering to hide the sarcasm "so I'm going to spontaneously combust in sunlight is that it?"  
Hecate smiled slightly and tapped the leather bound cover "clearly you are not familiar with what is actually between these covers as that is not the case "though seeing as your internals are formed from Stygian ice I would recommend avoiding direct sunlight wherever possible.  
"Uh-huh" I didn't register what she had said immediately as I was still examining the old book that was new "wait WHAT?"  
"My original empousa were formed from animal, bronze and ghost as you no doubt remember" she explained with exaggerated patience "your spirit is your own but your internal organs are formed from stygian ice. The ones that you still need are completely functional, and far more efficient than your original ones I might add, but extremely sensitive to sunlight, heat and UV rays. Your skeleton is carved from pure Obsidian, meaning massively enhanced durability and ability to cope with much greater pressure and physical trauma. Even I was incapable of replicating your entire form on a physical level, however most of what you see on the surface is you, what you saw in that mirror is what even the most clear sighted mortal will see. Mostly." This was too much. I grabbed the mirror from where she had set it on the bed and checked my face for ice. I couldn't see any. Then I remembered that Hecate was mistress of the mist.  
"show me" I ordered.  
Amazingly she didn't smite me "Are you sure? I don't think you want to . . ."  
"SHOW ME!" I yelled. I knew I was pushing my luck. Reluctantly Hecate snapped her fingers. My reflection was mostly the same but without the mist there were white streaks of frost in my otherwise black hair, I seemed gaunter somehow my cheeks sunken and dark rings around my eyes, soulless red eyes staring hungrily back at an impulse I put my hand on my chest, yep no heartbeat. She was right though, other than that I still looked like myself, still felt like myself. Only I was dead now, a corpse's skin stretched over a framework of ice and stone, cold, lifeless yet having the nerve to still move around and be repulsed by my own decision at what I had chosen to become.

I couldn't take it. I pulled my knees up under my chin and just hugged myself unable to process any more.  
"I don't want this" I told her.  
**_Had I know what I was in for I would have gone with Thanatos. At least I would have probably made Elysium. _**Now I would never go there and if I ever returned to the underworld it would be to reform in some disgusting pustule in the pits of Tartarus.  
"I'm afraid it's too late for that. You came to the crossroads Perseus and you chose this path of your own free will. Now you must follow it to its end." I just stared at the wall unable to bring myself to look at her. The goddess who had damned me for all eternity.  
After another moment she stood "I have matters to attend to. Read the book. We will talk more when I return but DO NOT LEAVE THIS ROOM." Then she turned and walked out the door, all three of her, leaving alone in her gloomy bedchamber with just my regrets and Bram Stoker for company. As a result I spent the next half an hour at war with myself.  
**_What will I do?  
Am I immortal now?  
Is there anyone else like me I can talk to?  
If Hecate made me what should I call her? My lady? Mistress? Mom? _**I shuddered at the thought.**_  
What about my real mother, what about Paul and my friends?  
What about Annabeth? Oh, she probably thinks I'm dead. _**(Which I was)

If I had carried on like that there is no doubt that I would have gone completely insane right there. I needed a distraction. And so I took a long calming breath and picked up _Dracula_. Steeling myself for what I was sure would be a very long and difficult slog through a book I was certain I wouldn't understand most of. Very quickly I realised that my ice brain must not be dyslexic because I had no trouble reading the words on the page. To say that I enjoyed the book would be a gross overstatement. In fact, for the first book I had ever read without difficultly, this was easily the worst possible choice. I'm not saying it was bad, but every page I felt a little more depressed and wishing a little harder I hadn't made such a stupid decision. Some of the stuff was kind of cool I guess but for the most part it was just dark and depressing. Even from a mortal perspective the existence of a monster was a bleak one. Either that or the English were just as cynical and depressing as the Stolls had once told me they were.

I had no idea how much time passed before I had read the book from start to finish. No sooner had I closed the thing than Hecate returned.  
She looked momentarily surprised to see me still holding the book "have you been reading for the past twelve hours?"  
"I guess so" I glanced around the room, looking anywhere but at her. Now that I wasn't reading the my earlier misgivings flooded back into my mind. I had to ask.  
"My lady. I ummm have a couple of questions"  
"I have told you already that I only have some idea of your capabilities. The ones I had to ensure were present. I do not know in what ways human culture may have affected you."  
**_If only it were as simple as that_** I thought bitterly.  
"No its not that. Just some stuff I need to know."  
Hecate looked at me quizzically "such as?"  
"Are there more like me? Someone who can help me?"  
She sighed, but seemingly out of regret rather than exasperation "No Perseus there is not. You are my grandest undertaking in millennia. I do not have the capability, magic, or resources to replicate it. That I fear may be up to you."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Come now" Hecate chastised picking up _Dracula _and returning it to the bookcase "you have only just finished the book. Surely you must have some idea?" I did and it was so horrendous that I couldn't bring myself to consider any aspect of it. I shunted it to a dark repressed corner of my mind and moved onto a different subject.  
"If I am a mon . . . archetype now, does that mean I am immortal?"  
"Essentially yes. Of course you can be killed but you will reform and you will not age. How long it may take you to reform is another matter entirely, dependent on your willpower."

I swallowed and asked "And what about you?"  
Hecate stared "What about me?"  
"What am I to you? What is my purpose?" Hecate seated herself on the end of the four poster looking at me solemnly.  
"Those are two entirely different questions" she answered "you are here to balance the scales Perseus, the equilibrium of light and dark, heroes and archetypes must be maintained". She was silent for a moment before continuing "As for my needs. All I require is that you do as I command and that you honour me and attend me when necessary. In return you have complete freedom to do as you wish and anything you may need for a comfortable if somewhat . . . _unique _existence. I will not make the same mistakes with you as I did with Kelli."  
**_Same mistakes? Does that mean she can read my thoughts? _**  
Creepily Hecate chose that moment to say, "No I can't read your mind, however you may find it rather difficult to disagree with me." I immediately resolved to avoid finding out what that meant. Still immortality and freedom were a small ray of light in the whole dark and sorry scenario that my life, _afterlife_, was rapidly becoming.  
**_Hey _**I told myself **_immortality and complete freedom doesn't seem like such a bad deal. A huge gift in return for relatively little.  
_**The question was what she would have me doing. Errands, jobs? Since I was a monster now it was likely something far less glamourous. Like assassinations.  
**_Surely worth it for a second shot at life. But is it? _**Seriously I could easily blame influence of Dionysus at this point, if I carried on like this I was insanity bound very soon.

**_Ok _**I thought **_now for the worst question. _**I couldn't bring myself to look Hecate in the face as I asked it.  
"What about my old life? The people I knew?" I had to swallow very hard, my throat bone dry, which was weird considering it was now made of ice. "Wh-what about Annabeth?" There was no verbal response. I had to look at her and noticed her expression baring something close to remorse. She made a quick gesture and a large bowl flew from one of the tables to her hand. She beckoned me closer and I slid to the end of the bed to sit next to her. She waved her hands over the bowl and muttered something in a language that wasn't ancient Greek but something older that my brain couldn't auto-translate. I did recognise it though, the language of magic. The bowl instantly filled with crystal clear water. A few more words and the surface rippled and distorted. I knew what this was. Scyring is a trick that I had only seen used once before, by Lou Ellen, back at camp half blood. It was something that you needed an exceptional grasp of magic to do as it took concentration and a huge amount of energy. Lou Ellen had only managed it for a few seconds and she'd passed out. I supposed that her mother the _Goddess of magic _wouldn't have that sort of trouble though. As I watched the rippling stopped and began to settle into recognisable shapes. I was looking at a school gymnasium. A horribly familiar one soaked in water and blood, _my blood._ Four figures were present. Two stood together a little ways off but the third was lying with her body thrown across the prone form of the fourth. Had I been my heart been able to stop I sure it would have. As it was I felt a tug in my chest and fought the urge to cry.

Annabeth was leaning over my body crying harder than I had ever seen before. Her jeans were soaked with my blood and more of it was getting in the ends of her blonde hair as it hung loose on her shoulder. She was in no hurry to find the scrunchy that usually kept it in a tight ponytail. If Annabeth looked bad though she had nothing on me, though that was hardly a good thing. Twin puncture wounds were clearly visible on my neck and green eyes stared sightlessly back at Annabeth as she hunched over me. The whole thing made me want to be violently sick again. I averted my gaze, only looking back when one of the people in the image spoke.  
"You, uh Annabelle is it?" asked Steve "we have to get out of here. Someone is going to find us and I'm too young to be a suspected murderer"  
**_Jeez what a dick!_**  
Annabeth started talking and after a moment I realised it wasn't to Steve but rather to me. Well not me me but the me she was still holding.  
"You can't go" she whispered, so quietly I almost missed it "Not now, not so soon." I answered her. I don't know why, she couldn't hear me, but I had to tell her.  
"I didn't want to. I just wanted you to make it out safely."  
"You always put everyone else before yourself. A little self-preservation instinct couldn't hurt." I knew she couldn't hear me but the way she spoke. It almost felt like we were having a conversation.  
"I know it was stupid but if I hadn't done something none of you would have made it out." I watched as she hugged me. It was such a weird experience.  
"You are so stupid Percy!" her voice cracked "why couldn't you have listened to me just this once. This was no place to make a stand, at least outside we would have had room to manoeuvre."

Steve, who had been hovering in the background leaned over and touched her on the shoulder.  
She stiffened and I winced **_bad move kid. _**  
"This is your fault" Annabeth's voice was a deadly whisper.  
"What?" Slightly quicker than I could blink Annabeth whipped round and launched from a crouch punching the kid in the chin. I was amazed his jaw didn't shatter. He fell back and in an instant Annabeth was above him. I could only see the back of her now but the kid shrank even further.  
**_Annabeth death stare_** I thought **_poor, poor kid. _**  
"Percy is dead and it's _Your fault!"_ she yelled.  
Both the boys were lost for words. Annabeth turned back towards me and though her face was blank, as usual her Grey eyes betrayed her true feelings; desolation, loss, anger, regret all swirling around in the violent storm clouds of her irises. She picked me up bridal style, yet more of my blood smearing across her t-shirt and denim jacket. She turned away from me again heading for the doors.  
"Get back to the horses" she ordered. Neither of the boys stirred "MOVE" she barked, instantly they scurried ahead of her. As she moved away the image rippled and vanished. I was left feeling hollow. Dejected.  
"I have to go find her, explain before she gets back to camp"  
"That happened nearly three months ago" Hecate stated quietly.  
**_Three months ago? How long have I been gone?_**  
"Why would you show me that then?" I demanded.  
"You asked me to" Hecate responded calmly. Staring at the black marble wall for a few moments I readied myself for what was sure to be more emotional torment.  
"What about the rest of them?"  
Hecate eyes were fixed on my face but I resisted the urge to look at her. If I made contact with those unfathomable black pits I would no doubt lose my nerve.  
"Are you sure?"  
A simple "yes" was all I could manage.

Hecate muttered her scrying spell once more and the water rippled. This time the image that it settled on was achingly familiar. Camp Half-Blood; the Amphitheatre.  
**_Oh Gods I know exactly what this is._** I didn't want to know what was coming. I started to turn away but was stopped by the Goddess hand on my shoulder. Slowly I turned back, though the vice like grip on my shoulder wouldn't allow me to do much else. Sure enough in the fire pit at the base of the amphitheatre was an unlit funeral pyre, on it rested something wrapped in a horribly familiar green silk burial shroud. The steps of the amphitheatre were lined with campers both Greek and Roman as well as a number of Nature spirits. Hilla was present at the centre of a small gathering of black clad amazon warriors and, noticeably separate from everyone else was, a trio of silver clad girls that must have been Hunters. In the bottom row nearest the pyre were all the people I had held closest: Annabeth, my mum and Paul, Grover, Thalia, Rachael Dare, Chiron and my friends from Camp Jupiter.

Annabeth was on her feet addressing the whole amphitheatre. There are many things a person can hear that will break his heart but hearing your girlfriend deliver your own eulogy is by far the worst of all.  
"Percy was an amazing guy. He was brave, selfless, funny and a complete idiot" She choked slightly as she spoke, I could see how hard it was for her to keep it together "But that's all the things I loved about him. He once told me how my own mother had confronted him and warned him that his fatal flaw was personal loyalty. That he would destroy the world to save a friend. In the end his fatal flaw didn't end the world it just . . .just meant he saved everyone except himself" Tears started to show in the corners of her eyes "You know, we all thought Percy had died once before. When he blew Mount Saint Helens to bits and we found no trace of him for three weeks. Then the idiot turned up at his own funeral with that dumb grin on his face" She stopped, staring at the shroud for a few seconds, composing herself "but that's not going to happen this time is it?" She touched the shroud gingerly as though hoping that I might wake up. I fought my own impulse to cry. To see her in such a state, to see what my own stupidity had brought about I couldn't bear it. Annabeth straightened again "Percy did things in the space of a few years that all of us could only dream of. No one is more deserving of the isles of the blessed and I'm sure he'll get there someday." She turned back and rested a hand on the burial shroud "but part of my kind of hopes you'll wait for me" she whispered. If she hadn't been so close I wouldn't have heard it.  
**_Oh Annabeth, I would have waited, but when you finally get to Elysium you won't find me there. _**She sat down next to my mother, who was sobbing into Paul's shoulder. My stepdad's face was a mask of sadness but he wasn't crying. He just stared blankly, stroking my mother's hair gently as Grover stood.

"I've known Percy for the longest time" he began, his voice was shakier than Annabeth's "we were best friends before he even knew he was a demigod. Back then he was tough. Even though I was his keeper he stuck up for me. Against other kids, against the monsters I would have had no hope against. He was the one who inspired me, gave me the help I needed to search for Pan and when I finally found him he was right there with me."  
"You didn't need my help G-man I just gave you a little push in the right direction."  
"You know I thought we'd have a whole lot more adventures but . . ." he stopped and shook his head sadly "He was greater hero and a better friend than I could have imagined. Miss you buddy." He brayed mournfully as he sat down only to have Thalia take his place. She wasn't in the kind of state Annabeth or Grover had been but her voice still wavered slightly.  
"As a hunter I don't generally have anything to do with men. But Percy was a man who I am glad to say I had the honour of being my friend. When I was freed from my tree his was the first face I saw when I regained consciousness. Whilst everyone else was holding back worrying about what it meant for the war, he was the only one who was worried about me, if I was ok. I joined the hunters in part to escape the great prophecy, because I knew that Percy was the better one of us. I am happy with my life now, the happiest I've been but I can't help but think, if only for a moment, how different things might have been had I not joined my sisters in this life. We had a lot in common and I wonder now if . . ." she stopped and glanced sidelong at Annabeth then fixed her eyes on the pyre once more. What I saw on her face confused me.  
**_Is she feeling guilty?  
_**The daughter of Zeus shrugged; shut her eyes as though to clear some unwelcome thought from her head then said "Goodbye Percy, you have this Hunter's eternal respect" but the words sounded hollow as if she wanted to say more.  
**_Thalia?_** I couldn't imagine what left the Huntress so desolate. We'd fought more times than we'd got along so even as friends we'd never been as close as, say, Grover and I had been.

She moved aside for Rachael. At this point I was on the edge, if I heard much more of this I was going to break down completely. But it was like seeing a car crash, I couldn't look away. Rachael seemed the most composed so far her voice was level and clear but despite that her emotions were betrayed by her eyes. They were usually a strong serpent green and full of manic energy. Now though they were dull and emotionless.  
"The first time I met Percy he tried to slice me in half." She chuckled weakly "not the best first impression he could have made. Funny thing is though, if he hadn't done that I probably never would have spoken to him when he turned up at Goode a few months later. I'll admit I liked him, he was brave, funny and cute. The sort of guy that girls want but pretend they can't stand. I did for a while hope that we could be more than friends. Too my eternal shame I made a pass on him once" she looked at Annabeth as she spoke but there was no anger or tension in the look they gave each other "he shut me down immediately of course. He only ever had eyes for you and rightly so. But he brought me into this amazing world and now I can't imagine my life without it. I have a lot to thank Percy for. We all do." I was shocked that Rachael had been so open about her feelings for me in front of the entire camp. It was true that she had been hitting on me the summer of the Battle of Manhattan and Annabeth had suspected as much but I'd never expected Rachael to admit it outright.

Finally Jason, Hazel and Frank all stood at once.  
"We've not known Percy as long as some of you" Hazel said "but in the time we came to know him he was just as important to us"  
"Yeah" Frank agreed "the first time we saw him he was stumbling towards us with an old Lady on his back and Gorgons chasing him. He had no idea who he was or who we were and yet he saved all of us and became a true friend to Camp Jupiter as well as a fine leader, for however brief a time"  
Jason took over "I arrived here at Camp Half-Blood in exactly the same situation, but right from the get-go I knew Percy was someone special. Before I met him I imagined him as a proud warrior and leader someone to be respected and feared. He was, but I never would have imagined him to be the sort of guy you could just have a drink and a laugh with too. They say the best leaders don't make the best friends but Percy; you were one heck of an exception to the rule. From Camp Jupiter and especially from all of us who Journeyed to Rome with you. Thanks"

I couldn't absorb anymore after that. I was too lost, my brain drowning in a sea of emotional turmoil. Everything my friends had said floating around inside my head causing me to sink even further. Piper, Leo, Hilla and Reyna all made speeches that I couldn't listen to. The Apollo cabin played something sad. Finally Chiron Stepped forward. He presented my mother with my personal belongings and a sudden wave of fear swept aside my emotional crisis.  
**_Oh good gods please don't let them have found it!_** Tyche be praised they hadn't. Chiron handed me mother my meagre collection of stuff. The Minotaur's horn and a couple of other trophies, my spare clothes, what little money and drachma's I'd had. To Annabeth he gave the photos I had of our times together as well as my Camp Half-Blood necklace. The whole thing was nearly as depressing as the entire collection of funeral speeches combined. Chiron, Annabeth and the others gathered at a respectful distance around the pyre.  
"Perseus my boy you were the greatest hero of a generation and one of the finest students I've ever had the honour of guiding. Like so many before you, you were gone to soon. Farewell Perseus Jackson Hero and Saviour of Olympus" he handed the lit funeral torch to Annabeth who held it for a few moments before thrusting it deep into the wood of the fire pit. As the flames grew obscuring her and the others from view the image began to fade until I was left staring at my own reflection in the water. Hecate dispelled the bowl and it floated away from her.

"I know what you are trying to do" I told her "but it won't work"  
"Perseus, I do not want to order you to stay away from those of your past life"  
"Good" I told her obstinately "because I'm not going to"  
The goddess' expression hardened "Listen to me. What was is no more and if you were ever to come face to face with them, especially the clear sighted mortal girl, it will not be the reunion you hope for"  
My stubbornness deflated. She was right of course, what would they think of me if they saw me now? Did I really think that they would welcome me back? At best they'd be repulsed and at worst they'd kill me. _Repeatedly_.  
"Why show me at all then?"  
"To make you understand" and understand I did. I was alone now, and I would be for the rest of eternity. Hecate stood slowly "I must leave now and so must you. When you are ready, leave via the Palaces' rear entrance you will be sent back to Earth."  
Like an idiot I asked "why can't I go the normal way?"  
Hecate gave me a look like; _you aren't too bright are you?  
_"Because they would slaughter you on sight, the doors will lead you to the point in America where my influence is still strong. Go." She gestured minutely and the top drawer on the bedside cabinet popped open. I looked back when I heard the noise and when I turned again Hecate was gone.

Inside the drawer, resting atop a small neatly folded pile of fresh clothes was my wallet, a familiar ballpoint pen and . . . a small velvet box. I grabbed the lot, trying not to think about one of the items in particular, and dumped them on the bed. Examining the clothes I quickly noticed a pattern, black shirt, black jeans, combat boots and a long black coat that, when I held it at arm's length almost brushed the floor. Even the undergarments she'd provided me with were black.  
**_Oh for fuck sake _**I thought **_she bitches at me for using the term vampire and then she's gives me stuff like this?_** Inside the coat pocket was a note that I assumed was from Hecate though there was no signature

The clothing will offer you some protection from the sun should you get caught outside is daylight. Dark colours are also better camouflage at night than bright orange and blue jeans.  
Do not complain; just make the best of it.

**_Fair enough_** I thought, dressing quickly.  
I glanced at the box for just a moment before stuffing it into my coat pocket. I took my wallet then warily picked up Riptide. Would the bronze kill me instantly if I touched it? I had no desire to find out at that moment in time. I didn't waste any more time in the bedchamber. There was nothing for me in there and it would take a long time to get the memories of watching my own funeral out of my head but the further I got from that room the better I would feel. As ordered I headed for the rear doors of the palace. I hesitated in front of them for a moment entertaining the notion that the moment I opened them someone was going to strike me dead, or that perhaps this was a really bad nightmare and that if I opened these doors I would wake up. Neither of these turned out to be the case. I opened the door and stepped through to find myself on a city street. Instantly I realised that the first thing on my list of powers was night vision. Despite it being the middle of the night my vision was almost perfect except for a slight reddish tint to everything.  
**_Ok _**I thought **_I guess that is kind of cool._** Looking up and down the street it was clear that this was no place I had ever been before which was a good start.

I just stood for a moment at a loss for what to do until a police cruiser pulled up to the curb. I instantly tensed up, my whole body rigid with fear; I have no idea why I mean what were they going to do? Arrest me for vampirism? But they just wandered straight past me.  
One of them tipped his hat as he passed "burning the midnight oil are we sir?"  
Something like that? I thought bitterly, unclenching.  
It occurred to me that if these were local policemen then they should know where I was. Deciding it would seem odd if I asked them where I was I examined the department insignia on the cruiser. I almost smiled. Salem Massachusetts. The Witch city.**_  
**_Well, I know where I am. What in Tartarus am I supposed to do now?_**  
_**


	4. Chapter 3: Salem Wolves

**There has been a big gap between updates I know. I am sorry. I will try to update again sooner.  
Athena's wisdom to you.  
-Athena'sPride95**

* * *

Chapter 3: Salem Wolves

That first night I spent a few hours just wandering. Wandering the unfamiliar streets of Salem not really knowing or caring what I was doing or where I was going. Why would I? I didn't have an education or job to return to. All my loved ones thought that I was long since dead and cremated, moving on with their lives. I still wanted to talk to Annabeth and my mum but Hecate's warning about a bad reception still rang clearly in my mind. I knew she was right but that didn't mean I was going to listen. I _was _going to find them, just not yet. The question really bugging me all that night as I walked past small shops and houses with darkened windows was 'what should I do until then?' Or more specifically what was I capable of doing? I'd never really paid any attention to any kind of mortal mythology that didn't pertain to Greek legends. After you discover that the Greek Gods and everything in their world was real then everything else mortals come out with sounds like bull you know? Annabeth of course would have read stuff she said most of the supernatural stuff that existed in literature had come about, at one point or another, as a result of stories told by a clear sighted mortal somewhere. I was really wishing I had listened now. Of course I'd heard about vampires. In today's modern society, with all the films flooding the cinema and the fiction section of every library being dominated by stacks of paranormal romance novels that featured the bloodsuckers, you'd have to look very hard to find someone who hadn't. Personally I had avoided such things like the plague when I'd been alive. I'd never had much of an inclination to read because of the dyslexia, and I'd only visited the cinema once or twice as a kid. None of them had been to watch vampire films I'm glad to say. When you've lived a life like mine dealing with real monsters and life threatening situations from the age of twelve the stuff you read and see in the cinema just doesn't seem to do the real thing justice and in some cases it was just insulting. Of course had I had the slightest inkling that _this _was going to happen then I would have bought a library's worth of books, at least I would have had some idea of what I could be doing. Actually if the fates had informed me that this would happen then I probably would have said my goodbyes and offed myself on the spot.

Eventually I found myself on yet another street in southern Salem, wandering past a row of big, wood panelled houses all with neatly trimmed grass and perfectly manicured bushes out front. I'm sure Annabeth would have recognised the architectural style had she been there but to me they were just houses. I could hear the sounds of TV and music coming from inside a couple of them but I didn't bother straining to listen. I reached the corner, looking up to a long driveway leading up to a large concrete structure. Even in the darkness of very early morning my new eyes could make out the words engraved on a small concrete block that sat on the grass verge between the two lanes.

SALEM HIGH SCHOOL  
Home of the Witches

I almost smiled. I guess the teenager that still inhabited my subconscious must have led me here instinctually. I rolled my eyes and turned away, crossed the street and continued on my way along Highland Avenue. Still with no real idea where I was going I continued on for a good twenty minutes more. It should have taken less but I got held up.

At this time in the morning there was little traffic on Salem's roads and even fewer people on foot. The few who passed me were mainly teenagers and drunken adults. The latter just grumbled something incoherent and staggered aside. The teenagers I thought would have been a problem but I guess my new attire served the double purpose of camouflage and intimidation. One or two, usually the ones walking alone eyed me with suspicion and fear, but I passed a couple of groups and they were more of a problem. The first was a bunch of guys who just shouted and jeered things that were so petty and stupid I couldn't be bothered to remember. The second though looked like a party group about a dozen guys and girls, most of whom had the tell-tale wobble of slightly too much to drink. We were just passing each other under a streetlamp when one of the men, obviously out to impress his companions, got in my way.  
"Hey you buddy" he slurred the smell of alcohol coming off him in waves "whatcha doing creepin around this time in the morning?"  
"Just out for a walk" I told him flatly. I was in no mood to be dealing with this.  
"What you like a serial killer or something, waiting for some poor girl to be alone so you can slit her throat?"  
"No" I told him **_but I wouldn't mind slitting yours bub if you don't get out of my way_** "can you please move?"  
The guy smirked at his dumb friends "I don't think I will. See I gotta do a public service here. People like you need to be taken off the streets before they kill someone"  
**_I can see where this is going _**I thought. I didn't normally like confrontations with mortals but I felt something rising at the man's hostility wanting him to start something so that I could attack right back. I was shocked at myself. **_ I'm no child of Ares. _**  
"I'm not out to kill anyone" I told him keeping my voice flat and neutral "yet. Now move before I make you regret it" I added letting a tiny bit of my irritation tint my voice. The subtlety was lost on the teen though who just laughed in my face.  
"You're going to make me regret it are you?" he mocked poking me hard in the shoulder, the dude was only slightly taller than me but he was a big guy perhaps a footballer or something "I'd like to see you stop me beating you to a pulp you little Goth freak!"

He swung at me then, a wild poorly aimed punch that a medusa victim would've had time to avoid. I just leaned back and kicked him in the shin. It wasn't a hard kick but the guy yelled in pain and fell forward. I took my hand out of my pocket long enough to grab his shoulder and hurl him out of my way into the road. I watched impassively as the guy, groaning, hauled himself back to the curb and lay there clutching his leg.  
**_What a wimp _**I thought **_a_** **_little tap like that wouldn't have made Clarisse even flinch._** Still, if the guy insisted on hamming it up it might ward off his buddies. I looked over my shoulder at them the guys were staring open mouthed and the girls were hiding behind them, one texting frantically.  
"Anyone else?" I asked calmly. Despite my tone I couldn't help feeling a flash of anger as a stared at them. Particularly the girls hiding further back.  
**_Annabeth or Thalia would be ready to fight anyone who treated one of their friends like that. These girls, tipsy or not, are pathetic._**  
For some reason the entire group took a sudden step back. A blonde girl screamed and fell out of her high heels.  
"N-nah man you're good" one of the guys stammered edging away from me "J-just don't kill us okay?"  
I sneered and moved on not bothering to look back as I heard anxious voices and the rapid clicking of high heels moving apace. I only wondered a couple of minutes later why they had gone from silent shock to screaming and stammering with fear just because I'd looked at them.

A little later I reached the entrance to a small park just of the main road. Having nothing else to do and nowhere to go I figured I'd just get away from the roads and houses. Amongst the trees it would be quiet and a better place to think without having to deal with more rambling party goers and suspicious eyes. With all that was going on in my head I didn't really pay much attention to where I was going. I think I may have crossed a children's play area and basketball court but it wasn't until I hit grass that I stopped. I'd stopped because of noises that didn't gel with the night-time ambience of Salem; the muted sound of tense voices mixing with occasional canine growls. I glanced around expecting to see an irritated dog walker with an unhappy pooch. Of course there wasn't any. It occurred to me that by now it was gone two in the morning and no sane mortal would be out walking a dog in an unlit park at this hour. Any with half a brain would be fast asleep by now. Looking around again I was certain that there was no one nearby. Behind me the occasional car or truck rumbled along the road but there were no people and certainly no dogs. I had an inkling, a feeling in my gut, that whatever was making those noises was dangerous and should be avoided but regardless I pressed on curiosity trumping common sense. I focused all my attention on the noises and continued across the football pitch toward another grassy area surrounded on three sides by trees. I only had to go a little ways before the voices or rather voice was easily understandable.

"Damn that Goddess and her insufferable brats! How close are they?" something growled a response and the voice cursed.  
**_Wow!_** Add to my list of powers; enhanced hearing. I'd only crossed just reached the end of the football pitch and there was still no one to be seen, even with my enhanced night vision. As I passed the dividing tree I heard the voice speak again.  
"Very well, we will keep moving. Travelling both day and night we should be able to lose them before . . ." a breeze rustled my hair from behind and the voice cut off abruptly. A few seconds passed before the unknown person spoke again.  
"Do you smell that?"  
**_Uh-oh _**my spine prickled at the sound of numerous growls as well as one or two whines.  
I stopped in the middle of the grassy area beginning to get some idea of who might be doing the talking and, more importantly, the growling. I desperately hoped I was wrong because I really was in no condition or mood to be in a life or death situation. Egged on by my own stupidity I started forward again very slowly and cautiously. Despite the potential danger I didn't draw Riptide. I still didn't trust my old blade not to hurt me when I took it out.  
The unknown spoke again "how close?" there was the sound of deep inhalation "so familiar and yet somehow, tainted." I tensed. Something had moved in the blackness beneath the trees, impenetrable at this distance even with my eyesight. Suddenly having no desire to me who or whatever had moved I turned and began to retreat, as quickly as I dared, toward the football field and the car park beyond. I had just reached the dividing line between the grass and the football pitch when something growled_ very _close behind me. I froze and turned very slowly. I was greeted with the sight of a dozen massive wolves all snarling threateningly, drool dripping from their fanged maws. At their centre stood a very ragged looking man, a strange crown of some kind atop his head, his strange eyes aglow in the light.

He stepped forward and took a great breath through his nose, drawing in my scent.  
"I thought I could smell the spawn of that accursed Sea God . . . Perseus Jackson. What an unexpected displeasure."  
I straightened looking him directly in the face. I had no illusions that I could tackle twelve hungry werewolves and their king all at once but there was no need to give any indication that I was afraid of being ripped into dog kibble.  
"The dishonour is all mine Lycaon" I responded coolly "so what are you running from this time, demigods, hunters, the local cats?"  
Lycaon snarled "do not mock me boy or I will have my wolves tear you apart!"  
I rolled my eyes and began to turn away. I wasn't in the mood for a monster monologue "listen pooch, no disrespect but I really can't be bothered with this right now"  
"Oh? Why the hurry?" the Wolf King enquired mockingly "you've already missed your funeral."  
His words froze me with shock. I turned back to face him "Whay did you say?" I asked quietly.  
"Surprised? News travels fast amongst monsters Jackson. The rumours are saying that Kelli that dratted Empousa she-devil took your life in Springfield. Painted the walls with your blood they said. It seems though that she didn't finish the job before Hecate erased her and her sister from existence. Something I will be only too glad to rectify."  
I took another step backwards, shifting my weight ready to bolt at the first hint of attack. Some instinct was screaming at me to just run now. I couldn't hold up in a fight against this many predators. I ignored it though.  
"It's difficult to kill something that's already dead dog breath."  
Lycaon bore his teeth in an evil smile "it is just as well you are still alive then isn't it? I have not eaten in days." His words made me automatically take two steps backward, every instinct screamed _run _but I couldn't see how I could outrun twelve wolves and their master on open ground.  
**_Just means I'll be seeing Tartarus again a little sooner than I had hoped _**I though resignedly.

Didn't mean I had to encourage them though.  
"Easy there Fido. Trust me the way I am now, you'd probably just die of food poisoning."  
This seemed to give Lycaon pause "Why? Are you afflicted? It would certainly explain the abnormality in your already dreadful stench"  
Sensing a break I pressed the subject "yeah ill. Kelli left me with something nasty. Tell you what how 'bout you let me get some meds from the doctor for it and you can eat me some other time. How's a week from Tuesday sound?"  
Lycaon chuckled faintly "most amusing. You will find though that we werewolves have remarkably resilient immune systems. This conversation has proven most entertaining though." He gave no visible signal, his arms remaining folded across his chest but all his wolves suddenly lunged at once. Ready for them I launched away onto the football pitch but, just my luck, hadn't taken five steps before I tripped and face planted the grass. Rolling onto my back and sitting up I was stunned to see that Lycaon's wolves had retreated a little way, the master werewolf himself staring at my with something that was unmistakably surprise. At least on first glance I thought they had pulled back, looking around though I instantly realised that I had in fact gone from the tree I had been standing under to quarter of the way across the football pitch and the wolves hadn't moved.

It was only moments before their confusion cleared and they came at me again, racing towards me across the grass, rapidly closing the distance.  
"Your skills surprise me Jackson, have you perhaps the blessing of Hermes?" asked Lycaon as he strode forward unconcerned with my enhanced speed. I tried to get up but Lycaon snapped his fingers and the nearest wolf launched itself at me bowling me back over and crouching on my chest snapping at me furiously. Not wishing to have my face chewed off I threw up my right arm, my left being pinned under one of the wolves massive forepaws, and grabbed the massive lupine by the throat desperate to keep those teeth away from me. It continued to bite at me trying to close its jaws around my neck and I automatically tightened my grip to keep it away. Suddenly there was an audible _CRACK _like the sound of a branch breaking and the wolf's whole weight suddenly dropped onto my chest smothering my face in thick fur. There was an expletive from Lycaon and a number of wolves howled plaintively. Sitting up the now dead wolf, snarl frozen on its ugly face, dropped to the floor its head falling at a funny angle. I scrambled backwards, shaken, to stand upright amid the circle of wolves. I had broken its neck with one hand! Lycaon roared with fury glaring right at me, murder boiling in his eyes.  
"Curse you Jackson. You shall pay dearly for that! Destroy him!" Another wolf lunged at me, low this time, in an attempt to take my legs out from underneath me but it was to slow. I jumped the animal with the intent to use its back as a springboard and launch myself at Lycaon.  
Instead I heard the Wolf King's incredulous "WHAT THE . . ." as I leapt ten feet into the air easily dodging the wolf easily. As soon as I came back down yet another wolf came at me but I ducked its attack and punched the next in the snout sending scrambling into the trees, howling in agony.  
"Very well. I shall destroy you myself!" Lycaon barked and attacked. He was much faster than any of his wolves and it was difficult to avoid him. I sidestepped his first strike but he followed up instantly and caught me across the cheek. Pain instantly turned to rage. As I spun back to face him, crouched low to strike, I hissed furiously, something I had never done before but it just felt right. A challenge daring him to attack me when I was so pissed off. Lycaon, who was swiping at my face yet again, pulled his strike at the last moment and stumbled backward shock evident on his features. It was all the opening I needed. I propelled myself at him aiming to bunch him right between those ugly eyes and drive him to the ground. The strike missed him, but only just.  
"Stop, Perseus!" he ordered holding out a hand. I ignored him and tried to hammer the blow home, the need for violence rising up again. To my surprise and anger Lycaon actually caught my fist in his hand, stopping my strike dead. He held me in place for a few seconds. He was strong to be sure, but now I was stronger, I wrenched my hand free and attacked again but the wolf king leaped away his ten remaining puppies blocking my way to him.

"Stop Perseus" ordered the Wolf King again but this time he did so amid heavy panting, apparently it had taken more effort for him to deflect my strikes than I had expected.  
**_He's Pathetic _**I thought bitterly **_I'm not tired_**. I wasn't even breathing heavily. I caught myself then as I realised; I wasn't breathing at all! The revelation was enough to drive all the fight from me and I stood there staring at my own hands in shock. My eyes rose to Lycaon's and the master Werewolf was staring at me intently once again, but the look in his eyes was different. Not hungry as if I was prey to be hunted, but wary and interested as if I were another predator that he didn't know if he should attack or flee from. He flicked his wrist and I tensed expecting another assault but all his wolves backed off leaving nothing between me and him. He took a step toward me and I made to defend myself but he held up his hands in the universal gesture of surrender.  
**_What's he playing at?_** I thought perplexed. He moved slowly towards me, hands till raised, until he was inches from my face. He lowered his hands and stared right into my eyes examining me up close. Without warning he growled, a deep challenging growl, and on pure instinct I responded in kind baring my fangs at him in warning. To my absolute astonishment the corners of Lycaon's eyes crinkled with mirth.  
"Oh, now this is amusing" he chuckled. He then began to roar with laughter walking away as if there was nothing dangerous about the situation what so ever.  
When he finally stopped and looked at me again he said "I'm going to watch this with great interest." With a snap of his fingers the wolves turned as one and disappeared into the darkness beneath the trees. Lycaon kept walking "farewell Perseus, I look forward to our next encounter. When it comes we will likely clash over prey rather than each other's heads. With a final chuckle he strode away into the trees vanishing into the darkness without so much as a rustle of leaves leaving my alone with the slowly dissolving corpse of the wolf whose neck I'd broken.  
**_What in Hades just happened? _**I thought confusedly staring at the spot where Lycaon had vanished **_the guy turns up, tries to kill me and then leaves, laughing like a mad man!_**

* * *

I was forced to take shelter as the sun began to rise. I had no desire to find out just how quickly the sun would reduce me to so much icy slush and flakes of ash. The problem was where do you stop when you are the new-born undead spawn of a Goddess? One that can't go out in sunlight. For me the answer turned out to be the basement of a for sale house on some suburban street that I can't remember the name of. By that point I didn't care I was just desperate to avoid the early morning ray's just beginning to break over the rooftops. It wasn't the first house I had tried that morning either. I had tried several buildings including occupied houses, closed shops and another for sale house but I couldn't go into any of them. Every time I had tried to enter one of the buildings I'd suffered excruciating, blinding pain like being burned alive but when I had checked myself there had been no visible marks. This house had been my fifth attempt. I almost passed it up to but the difference was that the sign at the end of the path had stated "All viewers welcome". I suppose it's because in some mythologies vampires were not able to enter a dwelling without permission (like I said you pick stuff up whether you want to or not) so I suppose the sign must have been tantamount to an invitation to enter. As you might expect I had been wary at first and didn't hold out much hope. So I was not only surprised to find that I wasn't burned on contact the door was also unlocked, which meant I didn't have to force entry anywhere.

I could see why it was open there was nothing in any of the rooms worth taking but still I'd have thought the estate agent handling the place would have kept it locked in case of squatters. Not that I'm complaining it was quite a lucky break I found it at all. I made my way down into the basement to find solid concrete walls, ceiling and floor and no windows to let in natural light.  
**_Perfect_**. I pulled the door closed behind me and settled myself in the corner as comfortably as I could manage. The utter silence was disturbing. Even when you are alone the sounds of your own breathing at least break the silence. Of course I wasn't breathing, nor did I have a pulse so the room was deathly silent.  
**_Appropriate _**I thought sadly as I took my coat off and rolled it up to act as a makeshift pillow. I lay on it not really expecting to fall asleep, but fall asleep I did. Before long my dreamless darkness was invaded by Hecate and her bed chamber.  
"Good morning Perseus" she said in her usual flat emotionless tone "how are you adjusting to your new self? I noticed that you have already started to become aware of your abilities." For a long moment I seriously considered ignoring her. I didn't want to think about all I'd done during the night. For the sake of my continued existence though I decided it was in my best interests to respond.  
"I've discovered I can move with freakish agility, break a wolf's neck with one hand and can't go in a building without feeling like I'm burning alive but other than that I'm peachy thanks" I told her as insolently as I dared.  
To my annoyance she didn't become irritated. Instead she said "and that is only the barest hint of what you could be capable of. Consuming blood will no doubt unlock all of your potential and grant you power beyond imagination!"

I felt something dark stir at the mention of blood, something that could have been excitement or maybe longing. I pushed it down repulsed.  
"There is no way I'm doing that" I told her defiantly.  
Now Hecate looked irritated "I'm afraid you have little choice my rather stubborn little servant. It is a fact of your existence now"  
My heart, still or not lurched a little, it was the first time she had gone out of her way to make it clear what I was to her.  
**_I must be getting on her nerves.  
_**"The sacrificial blood that was used in your creation will only sustain you for a while" she continued her tone neutral once again "less if you insist on getting into fights with anything and everything that crosses your path"  
I was reminded of the drunk teen who's shin, I now realised, I had likely shattered. And I was reminded of Lycaon and the wolf that I had killed.  
Still something about what Hecate had said made me queasy "sacrificial blood?"  
I couldn't tell because she didn't have pupils but I think Hecate may have rolled her eyes "I did not kill anyone the mortals that I took it from are still very much alive and they don't even know it's gone" I relaxed slightly.  
"But as I said it will not be long before you will be in need of more. I'm sure you have already felt the first twitches of hunger, especially considering your exertions earlier this evening" at her words that feeling flickered momentarily.  
"I'm not harming anyone" I insisted, more for my own sake rather than the Goddess.  
"In time you will and I suspect when it happens you will rather enjoy it" the words sounded unmistakably ominous and I shivered slightly.

"Isn't there someone who could help me out?" I asked "I'm kind of adrift in an ocean of 'WTF am I doing?' right now"  
The Goddess looked thoughtful "i was just about to give you that exact task" she told me "I had to track down someone of use but . . . yes if you seek out the vampire obsessive in Torrington, he may be able to help you. Provided he doesn't try and stake you first." I felt the sudden urge to hide at the word 'stake'.  
"Torrington? I'm presuming you don't mean your son Alabaster. Where is it?"  
"Connecticut"  
"Wonderful" I mumbled unable to keep sarcasm out of my tone.  
If Hecate noticed she overlooked it "It is about four night's foot travel from Salem but I'm sure you could find a faster way."  
"I don't even know how to get there"  
Hecate actually smiled slightly "you are a smart boy. I'm sure you'll find out"  
"Fine" I grunted.  
Her smile vanished and she was all business again "Sleep now I must go."  
"Good" I mumbled, just wanting her to go so I could get back to the blissful blackness of a dreamless sleep but the Goddess was staring at me now.  
"Perseus" she prompted her voice hard "I've just given you a quest. Something to focus on like you wanted. Aren't you grateful?"  
It took me a second to swallow my pride and say "yes" and I was. At least now I wasn't wandering aimlessly.  
"Then shouldn't you thank me for it?" she prompted her tone still harsh.  
"Thank you" I said quietly.  
"Thank you what?" she asked still glaring.  
I had to swallow very hard. I knew what I had to say but obedience was not something I was good at and I nearly vomited at the very thought of it.  
"Thank you m . . ." I actually had to pause and supress a gag "thank you mistress."  
Hecate unfolded her arms and smiled again "there we go. A little etiquette isn't too much to ask for. I know it's hard for you right now but after a while it will be second nature. Good night Perseus."

The mistress of magic and her bedchamber faded away and I was left in blackness again. At least now I had a plan. Tomorrow I would head for Torrington and hopefully find a guy who would help me figure out exactly who or _what _I was. And after that I could go and find Annabeth.


	5. Chapter 4: A long night's journey to Day

Chapter 4: A long night's journey to days inn

The first thing I did when I woke up the next morning was check my watch. It was 9:00pm, the sun would have long since gone down outside. So not really morning then. Hey can you blame me? Humans are not nocturnal creatures, but of course I wasn't human any more. Damn that was going to take some getting used to. I stood and stretched trying to get the stiffness out of my limbs before dusting off my coat and slipping it back on, making my way back up the stairs and through the basement door into the dark house once again. Someone had obviously been in to view the house during the day. Someone who liked their cigarettes and didn't care much for property they didn't own, the whole place stank of smoke. Add that to the discarded estate agents magazines and empty Cola can on the coffee table and you can imagine why the whole "come in and view at your pleasure thing" didn't seem like a very good idea to me. I was amazed the place hadn't been claimed by squatters, or at the very least vandalised beyond all recognition. It occurred to me then how lucky I was that whoever had visited hadn't decided to take a peek in the basement. Anyone seeing me would have probably mistaken me for a corpse and I'd probably have woken up in a morgue, that or Tartarus had someone tried to move me during the day. Still I didn't really have time to think about that. Next stop Torrington.

Moving to the front door I checked through the peek hole to be sure that there were no pedestrians outside. I didn't really want to be seen emerging from the house. I didn't exactly look like a potential buyer and the last thing I wanted right now was to answer questions to some night shift cop who had nothing better to do than harass people who looked suspicious. The first thing I had to do was find a place, or person, to get directions from. I knew Connecticut was somewhere westerly-ish from where I was but those were hardly accurate co-ordinates. Failing that I could hitchhike, assuming I didn't terrify every driver who saw me. Once back out on a main road I made my way downhill, back toward the centre of Salem. I reasoned that there had to be somewhere open late where I could get directions or even purchase a map. I shuddered at the thought of having to find my own way, orienteering had never exactly been my strongest class at camp, unless I was at sea of course.

As I passed the park where I had had my close encounter with the wolves the night before I could see that there was some major activity. There was the flashing red and blue of police cruiser lights and there were several people and emergency vehicles clustered at the park entrance. Slightly apprehensive, I decided to wander over and have a look at what was happening. Drawing closer I caught a whiff of something that at that moment I couldn't quite place. My stomach shifted a little like it used to when I was hungry and the smell of barbeque was in the air.  
**_Hecate was right_** I thought dejectedly, the first signs of needing blood were beginning to surface. I pointedly ignored it; I was not going to do anything to harm a mortal. Two police cruisers were parked at angles across the street preventing any vehicles or people from walking into the car park. A couple of officers were leaning on the bonnet of a cruiser sipping coffee and looking bored, apparently perimeter duty wasn't the most simulating of work. The one sitting on the wheel arch was facing me and he leapt up as I got closer.  
"Whoa there kid" he said "police perimeter no civilians allowed"  
**_Kid? _**I thought indignantly. The guy was barely older than me.  
"That's cool" I said stepping back from the police line and trying to sound nonchalant "what happened anyway?"  
The cop seemed glad of a chance to talk "Mr Fischbach heard yelling and barking last night" he jerked his thumb at the house that bordered the park "apparently some crazy dude set his dogs loose on some poor teenager"  
I winced. I thought no-one would have heard my little scuffle with the wolves last night, just my luck.  
"They find anything?"  
"I shouldn't really say" the cop said glancing over his shoulder to check his fellow officer wasn't earwigging the conversation "to be honest we nearly didn't take the call seriously"  
"Why not?"  
"Mr Fischbach is kinda jumpy. Too much time spent yelling at his computer."  
I decided not to ask why technorage would make someone jumpy.  
"I'm guessing you found something then considering all the security"  
"Yeah" said the cop grimacing "poor girl"  
His words piqued my interest. I was fairly certain I didn't sound like a female "poor girl?"  
"Forensics guys say she never had a chance, throat ripped out, but the dogs must have been massive, the paw prints were apparently bigger than most. They're thinking Irish wolfhound or something" the officer suddenly looked suspicious "you ask a lot of questions. You're not a reporter are you?"

I didn't answer verbally. I couldn't because guilt was gnawing at me, making me feel sick. Instead I just shook my head and began to trudge off down the pavement. Lycaon's pack had slaughtered some poor teenage girl. They hadn't gotten me so they'd murdered some mortal, and I could have stopped them! Or had it been some demigod on a quest? I wondered what the chances were that a Demigod would have been in this city at the same time as me.  
_**Too slim to be coincidence.**_ I was right. A few paces along the street I looked back. A pair of paramedics were carrying a stretcher on which rested something covered in a tarpaulin. As they lifted the stretcher into the back of the ambulance an arm flopped out from beneath the tarp. A silver clad arm. It was heavily blood stained but the colour of the material was still unmistakable, it caught the light from the tall street lamps, a faint glitter beneath the red. The victim had been a hunter! I remembered then what I had overheard last night.  
_"Damn that Goddess and her insufferable brats!" _Of course Lycaon had meant Artemis and the hunters. I just never made the connection at the time. My first thought was of course trying to find them. If the Hunters were nearby then so was Thalia! I could talk to her and . . .  
**_And what? _**I asked myself **_tell her that you died and Hecate turned you into a monster?_** I was being stupid _and _I was assuming that I would actually get close enough to them to talk to them. I was a male, which meant any form of contact with them to them was already difficult. Add to that I was now _officially _a monster and I was just prey to them, and more than likely a prey that they would rather hunt. Something new and interesting that they had never seen before; a new challenge. I shuddered. The Hunters were intimidating enough when they weren't after you, to have them trying to kill me was a terrifying thought. For some reason the thought of a silver arrow even in my vicinity was what churned my gut the most.  
**_Silver phobia _**I realised **_fantastic, cliché much?_** But then again that was what Hecate had warned me about. I wheeled about and began to move as quickly as possible away from the police perimeter without actually running. If the Hunters had been here then they had either followed Lycaon or they were now after me, which meant they'd be chasing me by morning. Either way I had no desire to stay in Salem any longer.

After a while I found the more touristy area, with all the shops devoted to witchcraft and Ouija boards and all the other crap this city was famous for.  
**_Why couldn't the guy I needed have been here? _**I thought. He certainly wouldn't have stuck out too much in a place like this. To tell the truth I was just distracting myself. I could have just hitchhiked to Connecticut but this distraction was preventing me from thinking too much. I was afraid if I did I would start to cry, something that was not exactly heroic or _demonic _for that matter.  
**_Suck it up! _**I told myself. Percy Jackson the demigod was gone, now I was . . .something else. Taking my own advice I started looking for a tourist information office or something similar. I reasoned that there must be something that was open all hours. After forty five minutes I was starting to get pissed off. There had to be something, somewhere! Then I caught a break in the form of a tourist information office that hadn't closed yet. I walked through the doors just as a lady emerged from the back room, turning off a light and pulling on her coat. She looked around and stopped in her tracks, "I'm sorry sir" she said evenly "were closed. You'll have to come back tomorrow. We open at nine o'clock." I thought again of the hunters. I could be dead by nine tomorrow morning.  
"I can't do that" I snapped, harsher than I had intended to be "I need to talk to you now"  
"I'm sorry sir" she said crossing towards the doors, sounding less professional and more nervous "I'm just on my way out" I skipped right over asking and went straight to force. Sue me I was tired and stressed!  
"Not Yet" I growled stepping to block the doorway. She looked like she was thinking of trying to push past me but I could tell we both knew better. I was never the tallest guy at camp, I was no midget but I certainly wasn't 6"6. Annabeth was taller than me but this lady was short, nearly half a head or so, she had to look up to make eye contact. The eyes began to travel up and down me taking in my white face, black clothing and coat looking more and more uncomfortable as she did so.

It was only then, in those seconds of almost absolute silence, that I noticed this weird smell in the room. Smells are difficult to describe at the best of times but this was a strange metallic smell with an acrid tang. Faintly familiar; remembered from the aftermaths of battles past, The smell of blood, sweat and adrenaline.  
**_Fear! _**I could literally smell this woman's fear! It awoke some primal part of my brain that I hadn't known existed, or perhaps it hadn't bee there before, making my stomach growl, nerves tingle and inciting a sudden urge to kill something. The woman thought I was going to attack her and if she didn't stop panicking, pumping out pheromones and causing her pulse to race, I was likely to lose it and do just that.  
"Woah calm down" I said as calmly as I could manage, speaking as much to myself as to her, "I just need directions. You see I'm kinda stranded and in a hurry. I was hoping you had a map or something. I'm trying to get to Torrington. In Connecticut." There was silence for a few seconds more. There was no visible change in the woman's demeanour but the overpowering stench receded ever so slightly. She turned and disappeared into a back room. Some instinct urged me to race after her, a fly buzzing around my head, telling me to leap after her as a cheetah would a fleeing gazelle. I ignored it but after a few moments I began to wonder if she'd gone to summon the police or fled out the back door. I hadn't heard voices or the opening and shutting of a door but I was partially distracted by the terrifying urges I was squashing down. About two minutes later she returned carrying a road map of the Eastern United States.  
"How much do I owe you?"  
"No, no" she said quickly "you keep it. Though if you're looking to go that far and don't have your own transportation I'd recommend using public transport or a long distance taxi service."  
"There's one two blocks west of here" she went on rapidly, pre-empting my next question "can I please leave now?" The smell she was giving off tempted me to say no but I stepped aside and she hurried through the door with me right behind her.

As she locked the door I tried to thank her for her help. She looked at me barley long enough to attempt a nervous smile before walking off down the street rather faster than normal, constantly looking back over her shoulder at me until she disappeared around a corner. Not trusting myself to move just then I waited until her fear scent had dissipated then began to head west.  
**_Pathetic _**I found myself thinking **_Annabeth wouldn't have cowered like that. She would have forced her way past or just stuck a dagger in my gut and left anyway. Are all mortals this cowardly?_**Dark thoughts by my standards but at the time I didn't see it like eleven o'clock I reached the taxi dispatch. Several night shifters were sitting behind the wheels of their cars. Most were reading magazines or on phones, ipods or tablets. From the smell it was clear that some were smoking and at least one was drinking on duty. Not particularly picky and just wanting to leave town I went to the first taxi in line.  
"Hey man I need to get to Torrington, I'm in a hurry" The guy was watching football re-runs on his mobile phone and acted like I wasn't there, though I was fairly certain that he should have heard me.  
"Hey!" I said banging on the driver side door "Hello, guy? I need to get to Connecticut, do you go that far?"  
The guy didn't even look at me "I'm off duty" he grunted.  
"What do you mean _off duty_?"  
"Do you understand English? I mean get lost I ain't going nowhere right now"  
My already short temper flared angrily and I swear the red of my night vision got more intense for a moment, like someone raising the sensitivity on night vision goggles.  
**_I hate human beings _**I thought. Why couldn't this guy just do what I tell him without being a dick?

He began to wind his window up as if to shut me out but I grabbed the top of the window as it rose. A gesture that would have been pointless had I still been human. As it was the window motor whined audibly then there was a _CRACK _and a spider web of cracks appeared around my hand. That got his attention.  
"What the . . ." he started to say, but I was seriously pissed off now.  
I cut him off before he could finish swearing "Listen buddy, I've had a shitty past couple of days so pissing me off right now is _not _a good idea!" He looked up at me angrily as if to yell something but we made eye contact and the comment seemed to die in his mouth. I supposed that he could see the anger in my unblinking death stare and decided to shut up. He sat staring at me. "Listening now are we? Good" it was about time someone stopped making my life difficult "I need to get to Torrington and you are going to drive me there, no snarky comments, no bitching and no "Scenic Route" got it?" The taxi driver stared at me wordlessly. Confused I moved but he continued to stare at the spot where I had been. I thought maybe he was having a stroke or something.  
"Hey" I asked my anger fading slightly "you ok?" I waved a hand in front of the guy's face. No response. "Hey" I yelled "yo mortal. You in there? Torrington, Connecticut. Transporto los rapido! Come on wake up!" I snapped my fingers in front of his face and he seemed to lurch back to life, as if waking from a daydream.  
"What are you standing there for?" he asked "Torrington's a two hour drive. Get in!"  
**_That was weird_** I thought as I slid onto the back seat. **_Maybe he's narcoleptic or something_** I thought then dismissed it. He wouldn't be a taxi driver if there was a risk of him passing out behind the wheel. Also he wouldn't have known where I wanted to go. I had another theory but I wasn't willing to accept it just yet, staring at my own hands as we pulled out of the taxi rank.

The first fifteen minutes or so of the journey was made in absolute silence, only the car and vehicles passing in the opposite direction made noise. Then as we left Salem the driver spoke up.  
"So where you from?" he asked, apparently quite civil now we were on the move.  
"New York" I told him.  
"Ah the big apple eh?" he said "only been there once myself. Never actually went onto Manhattan Island though. Didn't particularly want to to be honest. I couldn't handle all those massive buildings"  
"It's not that bad if you know what you're doing" I answered, though I didn't really want to think about home. It still hurt.  
"Yeah maybe you're right. So how'd you end up all the way out here without transport?"  
"I had an accident" I said "the woman who saved my life brought me to Salem"  
the driver whistled "that's serious. So how come she isn't with you now?"  
"I left" this guy was beginning to irritate me again.  
"Was she hot?"  
**_What?_**  
"I guess so" I said truthfully **_if you can overlook solid black eyes, terrifying magic powers and the fact that she's over three thousand years old._**  
He hissed air through his teeth, glancing at me in the rear view "missed opportunity there buddy"  
"What are you on about?"  
"Just sayin, it sounds like something out of a movie, you should have hooked up with her"  
I snorted staring out the window at the trees and street lamps whipping past "I have other commitments"  
"Got it, girl back home and all, I can respect that" He looked back at the road "so, all your family out New York way?" he asked.  
"Will you just shut up and drive?" I snapped. The guy went silent and I almost apologised. I hadn't meant to snap it was just, you know; touchy subject.

The driver turned on the radio just in time for a news broadcast. I almost made him turn it off again until I caught what the reporter was saying.  
" . . .ext week. In other headline news, more interesting developments surrounding the murder of the as yet unidentified teenage girl in McGrath Park yesterday"  
I lurched forward in my seat "turn that up!" I barked, the driver jumped but did as he was told and the reporter's voice grew considerably louder as he went on.  
"Apparently the murderer had attempted to kill another earlier that evening but failed. James Averey a local to the area, and one of the first to file reports of disturbances that night, claims to have witnessed an earlier attack in which another teenager was set upon by what the police now suspect were in fact wolves"  
the taxi driver snorted "Salem wolves? Sounds like the title of a horror film"  
"Shut up" I snapped. The witness Averey was talking now.  
"It looked like something from the matrix" He said and from the tone of his voice I imagined he was gesticulating wildly at the reporter as he spoke "this guy had about twelve huge dogs that surrounded this pale looking dude in the park. When they went for him though he went leaping high in the air like Neo or something. I think he actually killed one of the things, but the guy with the dogs got right up in his face like he was threatening him before he just left laughing"  
The interview ended to be replaced by the reporter once more "the police now wish to speak with this other individual and urge that he come forward to provide information that could prove vital to this investigation. They would also like to speak with one of a number of young girls seen in the area of the crime who are believed to be friends of the victim. The number to call is . . . "I stopped listening to the radio at that point sinking back into my seat and staring out the window. I could live with having been seen, no mortal policeman had ever been able to catch me when I was alive and they certainly weren't likely to now. What was more concerning was that it _must _have been the hunters in that park, "a number of young girls believed to be friends of the victim" and the arm that had shown beneath that sheet left no doubt in my mind.  
**_Crap but they had been close behind me_** I realised. If I had arrived in that park just a few minutes later I could have been involved in a massive fight, or more likely already be dead . . .well dead-er. I let the minutes slide into hours as the taxi drove on, staring out the window and trying not to think too much.

I think it was about 1:20 in the morning when the taxi finally pulled up at the Jackson Hewitt taxi service.  
"This is as far as I go" said the cab driver "I need to get back to Salem, my dispatcher is going to have a fit"  
It was better than I had expected "Thanks" I said sliding out of the seat onto the pavement "how much do I owe you?" I still had some cash in my wallet but the cab driver just looked at me as though I were crazy for a moment then tore off down the street actually turning right on a red light and blazing away out of sight.  
**_Weird._** I looked around trying to get some idea where I was. 'Torrington Street' read the sign.  
**_Well that's original, so what do I do now?_** I had the city but I had absolutely no idea of how to go about looking for this 'obsessive' who was supposed to help me.  
**_What would Annabeth do? _**I thought momentarily. Apply logic. So I tried the shopping plaza nearby looking for anything remotely occulty but to no avail. The next best thing would be to ask someone, but of course at 3 in the morning there was no-one to talk to, even if there had been how does one phrase a question like that?  
"Hi do you know anyone completely obsessed with black magic and the occult because I need him to help figure out my creepy vampire powers?" if anyone knew what I was talking about they'd just think I was another weirdo and ignore me anyway. Or they would have had me arrested. No matter what mortals thought I wasn't getting any closer to my goal standing around in the dead of night looking stupid. I decided that I would have to stay up during the day, find a human who hopefully wouldn't run a mile, and ask them about this illusive man.  
**_Next time I'm getting Hecate to draw me a map._** That thought reminded me that I had no idea of the layout of the town beyond the few blocks I had explored. Pulling out my map I decided that now might be a good time to find a place to sleep, especially if I was going to have to be up during the day, preferably somewhere other than a concrete floor in some dude's basement this time. I had to look at the map for a full five minutes before I found what I was looking for. Without any further delay I folded it up and headed off up East Main Street.

33 minutes later I arrived at a _days inn _and like a complete dumbass tried to walk right through the front door. Immediately I collapsed under a crippling amount of pain and scrambled backward before I could pass out. I lay on the front steps panting and steaming, _yes steaming, _waiting for the pain to subside. I had completely forgotten about the no entry without an invite rule.  
**_Man but that was stupid and painful _**I thought. I was still laying there when a woman came racing out from inside.  
"Oh my god, are you ok? You look like you had a heart attack!" she asked her hands flapping aimlessly as though she wanted to do something but wasn't sure what. I couldn't exactly tell her what really happened so I sat up and rubbed my chest, massaging the last of the pain away.  
"Yeah I'm fine. Not sure what came over me there, just got this burning pain all of a sudden" not a lie, I just omitted the reason I had been burned.  
As my luck would have it she said "oh dear, could be serious. You need to rest after an attack like that. Would you like to come in? I can call 911 for you."  
**_Would I like to come in? Jackpot! _**I thought.  
Aloud I said "no need to call anyone but I could do with a rest"  
"Are you sure?" asked the woman leading the way back inside "we have a few rooms available and it would only take a few minutes for them to arrive"  
I growled in frustration "No" I repeated through clenched teeth something I could still do despite them being considerably longer than they used to be "just a room will be fine"  
"Ok then" she conceded taking up a seat behind the reception desk "can I just have your name please?" I almost told her. Then I remembered that "Percy Jackson" was dead so I didn't want to be using that name in any place it could be seen later, especially if the hunters had decided to follow me. I didn't think they would have, not after the wolves killed one of them but I wasn't taking any chances. I suddenly remembered Mr D and how he had almost always insisted on calling me by the wrong name.  
**_Why not use one of those? _**I thought **_it'd be ironic. _**  
"Peter Johnson" I told the receptionist.  
"Thank you sir" she replied reaching into a drawer and producing a room key "number three, I hope you feel better soon"  
I smiled as genially as I could manage then turned and made my way down the hall to the second door on the right.

The room wasn't anything fancy, in fact it looked like it had first been furbished in the early 80s and hadn't been touched since. Not that it was any great shakes to me. This was just a place to crash. Tomorrow I would get up during the day and do my best to make enquires about the guy I was supposed to be looking for. Not that I held out much hope. Unable to go outside in daylight and with no inkling of who this guy was or _where _he was I would likely be holed up here for months. Glancing at the alarm clock I noted that it was 3:00am. I wasn't tired but I thought a little sleep wouldn't go amiss, so I set the alarm clock for 10:00am and dropped fully clothed onto the bed. I lay there for some time just staring at the ceiling feeling no inclination to move, and without the need to breath I could hear every car passing by outside, the shuffles and flushing sound of the resident next door visiting the bathroom and even mutterings from out on the street as people passed by. It was all so weird, and despite having been two days (or several months depending on perspective) since I had died and come back to life, nothing felt real. It felt like this was all a bad dream, or a weird hallucination or maybe I was in a coma after the fight with the Empousa in that gym and this was just some weird dystopia my brain had concocted to deal with the situation. If it was then I was a _very _messed up person. I gave myself a shake and tried to put the thoughts out of my mind, closing my eyes to try and convince my brain that it was tired. It must have worked because I soon fell into the empty blackness of a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Finally got another chapter written! Sorry I have been absent for so long. I will try and update this, and my other works more often from now on.**

**Don't forget to leave feedback on the story so far.  
Athena's wisdom to you.**

**-Athena'sPride95**


	6. Chapter 5: AM , MI

**Back by reader demand it's _Blood of a Generation!_** H**opefully i'll be able to juggle this and SoaH and keep everyone happy, but knowing my inability to do anything effectively I doubt it.**

**Anyway, enjoy and remember to leave a review if you want more.**

**Athena's wisdom to you.  
-Athena'sPride95**

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Chapter 5: Animal magnetism. Monstrous instinct

Ok so to say I "slept" was a stretch. It was more of a semi-conscious coma state. Ok that's a lie too; I was just trying to make it sound a little less lame than it was. In reality I just sort of lay there with my eyes closed and tried to ignore the passage of time. Harder than it sounds, especially when you consider I could hear _everything. _I was aware of a couple walking past on their way to check out early that morning. I was aware of dubstep reverberating through the building from a room further down the corridor. And I was aware of the manager pounding on the door of said room and demanding that said music be turned off immediately before they were thrown out of the hotel. Just as examples. The fact of the matter was I just wasn't tired, not even fatigued, which I weird when you consider how I fell asleep as easily as any normal person the night before. I guessed it had something to do with Hecate. She must have wanted to contact me and so had caused me to fall asleep. The idea made me nervous though. If she could make me fall asleep what else could she do? As I considered these questions in my mind time seemed to speed up, and I still don't know if it was the alarm clock or the sun seeping in through a gap in the curtains that forced me back to full consciousness and out of bed later that day.

Either way I rolled right out of bed and stumbled over to the curtains and dragged them shut, sealing the gap and blocking out the hated sunlight that, only a few short days ago I would have welcomed. Feeling deathly sick I huddled into the darkest corner of the room that I could find and waited for the pain and shaking that had gripped my body to subside. When they finally seemed to have left me for good I forced myself up off the floor and moved back to the bedside table. The digital readout on the alarm clock's face read 1:00pm.  
**_I've been in that corner for three hours? _**I thought **_note to self: avoid sunlight at all costs._** As I realised that I also realised something else. I was feeling a bit hungry. **_Well hurting anybody is out of the question _**I told myself **_I'll just get something from the hotel café for now. _**Wary of going _anywhere _with the sun out because of what had just happened, I reluctantly forced myself from the room. Luckily the corridor it opened onto seemed to be an interior one with no windows and I was able to make my way to the stairs without a problem. Getting down wasn't too bad either because the windows were above head height but the ambient heat made me slightly queasy. The first real problem came when I got to reception and had to cross into the breakfast lounge. The front doors were wide open, presumably to allow the early afternoon sun to spill in. Great for enticing guests, not so great for me. If that wasn't enough the receptionist from the night before was _still _seated at the front desk. She hadn't noticed me yet but the moment I stepped into her peripheral vision she was sure to ask how I was feeling.

Screwing up my courage I hiked the collar of my jacket up as far as it would go and made a break for it. Even with my speed the moment I passed into the sun I felt sick and uncomfortably hot. The thing did its job though because that was all I suffered, at least physically. Unfortunately my passing ruffled up just enough of a breeze and the receptionist looked up in time to catch me trying to quietly open the door in the vain hope of not being noticed.  
"Afternoon sir. Feeling ok after last night?" she asked, with a slightly confused look.  
"Yeah" I responded quickly "how long do you work anyway? You must be wrecked" I asked hoping the change of subject would prevent any further questioning.  
"Oh I've been home and come back" she said lightly "it's Friday which means afternoon shift for me"  
"Oh, ok" I said, having already lost interest "I'm just going to grab some breakfast"  
"It's actually nearer to lunch time now sir" she pointed out.  
"Oh yeah, of course, still a little disoriented after last night" I told her, which wasn't entirely a lie, before skipping through the door before she could ask me anything else.

The lounge itself wasn't very large. A few wooden tables and seats and a few old armchairs were dotted about the room with a counter along the far wall, behind which was a serving window and beyond that a kitchen where I could see several people working. Being careful to avoid the windows here too I just grabbed a try and dumped the first thing I came to, which happened to be a stack of pancakes, onto it. They were hardly mum's cooking but they were better than nothing. I found a table tucked into a corner of the room out of the sun and started wolfing down the pancakes to ease my hunger. Didn't work out like that unfortunately. No sooner had I cleared the plate then my stomach lurched, violently. I doubled up clutching myself in pain as my insides began to churn like a disgruntled cement mixer. I knew what was coming next.  
"Oh Gods", I ran for the toilets. I banged the cubicle door open so hard when I lurched into it that it bounced back off the wall, leaving a crack in the plaster. I lifted the toilet seat just as a massive wave of nausea hit me and my breakfast made its second appearance. I vomited four or five times, each one bringing up more previously ingested food. By the time I stopped retching my eyes were watering and if anything I felt hungrier now than I had before the pancakes.  
**_Could this get any worse? _**I asked myself as I stood and wiped away the tears with the back of my hand. My hand came away red.  
"What the?"  
**_Please no. _**I thought. I stared into the mirror at my face streaked with the tracks and smears of my tears. Red ones. **_I cry blood. Seriously? I guess it can get worse._**

Starting to feel nauseated again I washed my hands, splashing some of the water on my face in an attempt to ease my churning stomach. After that, with no idea of what else to do, I returned to my table and collapsed into my chair ignoring the glass of orange juice that I now knew would only make me ill. I realised then that I hadn't thought things through. How was I supposed to go about searching for somebody who was most likely human or demigod? Somebody moreover whose appearance and location I had no idea about other than it was in this town, possibly. How in Hades was I supposed to do that when I couldn't even _cross _a patch of sunlight, much less go outside? When my mind produced no answer to this question I sat there fuming for I have no idea how long. That is until the answer to my problem presented appeared, though not in the form of an idea. You know how they say the fates are cruel? When it came to my situation I would have been one of the first. Anyway whilst the fates can be cruel it turns out that they can, on occasion, be very helpful. As I said I was just sitting around chewing the problem over in my mind and basically waiting for the sun to go down when, at around four o'clock a pretty teenage girl pushed through the lounge doors pulling on a _Days inn_ employee shirt. Pretty by normal standards I suppose. Not a patch on the girls I knew. A woman off to my left who had been scrubbing tables waved to her.  
"Afternoon Lily, late again? Beryl has already started on her rooms"  
"Sorry" the girl, Lily, paused at a staff only door "got out of school late because of a fight"  
"A fight?" the other woman asked.  
"Yeah, Grieger and his dumb buddies got pulled into the principal's office because they were picking on Edwards" I almost stopped listening then. Why should I care about some stupid high school fight? But it's just as well I didn't otherwise I would have missed what came next.  
"Why?"  
"He decided to take the piss because of the garlic and spell books he was carrying"

**_No way _**I thought **_my luck couldn't be that good._**  
"What on Earth for?" the cleaner asked.  
"Some supernatural reason same as always. You know what he's like"  
"Only from what you've told me. Poor kid"  
"He is weird though" the teenager pointed out "then again I suppose I would be if my only living relative ran an occult shop"  
**_Jackpot!_**  
"Why doesn't his relative intervene with the school?"  
"Well according to my friend he's been in England for like six months something about researching witch burnings?" At that point I lost interest in the conversation. I needed to find out where that shop was. I was sure that this "Edwards" was the person Hecate sent me to find. I left my table and headed back up to my room to wait for the Lily to come by my room on her cleaning rounds. About half an hour later she did just that. I opened the door just as she passed me and tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention.  
"excuse me"  
she sighed with what I think was boredom "Yes what is it?" Then she actually turned to me. When she actually looked at me her tone changed completely "Oh, Hello" she said her demeanour changing faster than flicking a switch. "And how can I help you?" she asked, her eyes roving up and down me and making me feel seriously awkward.  
"sorry I was in the lounge earlier today and I heard you mention that someone was getting picked on?"  
"Who Edwards? Yeah, but he's always getting picked on. Why, you know him?  
"Umm, yeah. He's a friend of mine from a couple of years back. I recently got some time off and thought I'd drop by."  
"Oh wow guess this was just really bad timing then huh? Coming back and the first news you get is that your friend has been beaten up.  
**_She bought it? I surprise myself sometimes._**

I decided to press on.  
"I know. I want to check that he is alright" I tried to put on an easy smile, which was difficult without revealing my new teeth "problem is, his old address is wrong. I just ended up annoying some old lady. You don't know where he lives now do you?"  
That weird look was back on her face again "of course I can help" she tucked an escaping strand of her ponytail behind her ear "listen, I just started my shift but I'll finish in a couple of hours. Your room number is . . . four. Alright then" she asked looking over my shoulder at the brass plaque on the door.  
"yeah, umm, why's that matter?"  
"Well when I get off, I was thinking we could go grab a coffee or something and then I'll take you to your friend."  
**_Is she hitting on me? _**I thought **_This is ridiculous!_**  
"What do you think?" she asked.  
**_No way! Just give me directions _**my brain said.  
"Sure thing" my mouth said with a confidence I didn't actually possess "see you then." At first she didn't move staring at me with that weird dreamy expression and I could swear she was leaning into me. I quickly stepped away and shut my door, putting it between me and her. I watched through the peep hole as she stood there for a moment longer, looking as though she was expecting me to come back out, before continuing along the corridor.  
**_I hope that was just a weird one off _**I thought **_I've heard of animal magnetism but that's ridiculous!_** I remembered the effect that Kelli and Tammi had on me the first time I saw them. Hadn't I done something similar? If it hadn't been for Rachael I would have wound up dead that day. I shivered and moved away from the door. It had only been a few days and I was still, for the most part, completely ignorant of my own abilities but what I had seen so far was enough to make me scared of myself.

Two hours later I met up with Lily outside _Days Inn_. I got the feeling she would have preferred to meet me in my room, which was exactly the reason I didn't, but she didn't complain about it. At least not verbally although she did look disappointed when I called to her from the entrance as she passed on her way to the stairs. I know what you're thinking. How could I go outside with the sun out? In truth that exact thought had occurred to me about fifteen seconds after I had shut my door. According to my personal clock I had only been out of it for three days, but time had marched on without me and three long months had gone by. I had died in the middle of August, and I had come back in November. It felt so weird to lose time like that but it wasn't the first time. I remember when Hera abducted me all that time ago. I had lost _months_ then too. The only difference was that the time jump this time had actually done me a favour. Earlier sunsets meant longer nights, longer nights mean darkness which meant my life, or _afterlife_, was a little easier. What didn't make it easier though was Lily. The stupid mortal would not stop getting on my nerves! I put up with her constant talking from the moment we left the motel. She just kept yapping all the way to the coffee shop, going on about her life and her friends and school. It made part of me, the human part I guess, upset. It reminded me of all the things that I had lost and couldn't have. It made the monster in me want to snap the stupid girl's neck an sling her corpse in the bushes just to shut her up. I swiftly decided that _that _part of me was the one I should be ignoring and instead settled on turning up the music in my head and trying not to look like I couldn't care less.

As we left the coffee shop with our drinks (mine would be drained in the gutter at the first available opportunity) she finally stopped talking about herself and asked me a question instead.  
"So what's the deal with you and Edwards?" she inquired, "are you the dark, mysterious handsome one and he's the dorky tag along or something?"  
**_Dark, mysterious, handsome? I think I might throw up again._**  
"Yeah something like that"  
"How long have you known each other?"  
"Years" I lied "I'm from New York originally but we met at boarding school"  
"He's got a private education too?" she sounded sceptical this time. Obviously my lies didn't gel with her understanding "weird. But I guess that means you're rich too right?"  
The question actually sparked one of my own **_Hecate said I would have whatever I needed. Did that extend to money?  
_**I answered this question honestly "umm, no. Not really. My mum's a published author with a bestseller, so we've got money but I would never have said rich"  
"Wow" she said dreamily, that weird look in her eyes again "not that it matters to me, but that's so cool"  
**_Ugh! I think I really am going to be sick. _**She didn't say anything else for a few minutes but the way she kept trying to snuggle up to me was making things more dangerous for her than if she were walking along with some mortal stranger. The first problem was that if she got much closer she would very quickly realise that I wasn't generating any body heat. The second problem was entirely more sinister. With her so close the hunger that was quietly whispering at me to sink my teeth into her neck and drain her dry was getting harder and harder to ignore.

"Well, here we are" she said quite suddenly, sounding depressed. I snapped back to reality to see a few paces ahead, sandwiched between a thrift shop and a second hand electronics store, the place I was looking for. Even without getting closer I knew it was the right place. There were strings of garlic hanging on ropes outside the door and a book with a pentagram on the cover was resting atop a faded purple cushion surrounded by other occult paraphernalia.  
"Thanks" I said, relieved "guess I'll see you around" I took a few paces toward the shop but when I glanced back the girl hadn't move. She was standing, awkwardly fiddling with a bobble hanging down from the ear flap of her woolly hat. "What's wrong?" I asked. The nervous look on her face made me immediately wish I hadn't.  
"Listen umm this is going to sound crazy"  
**_Oh no_**  
"But my friend's birthday party is coming up and I was wondering if you. Well if you're going to be around town for a while . . ."  
**_Please don't  
_**"I was wondering if you'd go with me?"  
**_Ok NO. Far enough!_**  
Trying to keep my cool I said "I'd love to but I don't think my girlfriend would appreciate me going to a party with another woman"  
The girl looked heartbroken "you have girlfriend already?"  
I tried to keep bloody tears back as images of Annabeth flashed by "Yeah. Sorry"  
"Oh well . . .is she local?"  
"What?" the weird question distracted my before my mind could wander any further.  
"Is she from around here?"  
**_Seriously _**I thought **_she's just not going to give up is she?  
_**"No she lives in San Francisco but I don't see how . . ." The mortal darted forward and her dangerous proximity gave me a pain in my face, more specifically my gums.  
**_She is WAY too close right now. _**She was actually grabbing the folds of my coat.

"Come on" she persisted in what she probably thought was a sweet, seductive tone "what she doesn't know won't hurt her"  
**_It wouldn't hurt her anyway _**I thought bitterly **_because in her mind I'm already long gone. Dead and cremated._** The thought made me depressed and angry at the same time.  
"Come on please" she begged pressing herself right up against me so that it was nearly impossible not to notice her . . . assets, even though the coat she had on.  
**_Ok enough is enough. _**I remembered the taxi driver from Salem and what I seemed to have done to him **_time to see if I'm right. If I am hopefully I won't cause this girl brain damage._**  
"Listen to me" I ordered sharply stepping out of the contact. Taken by surprise her amorous expression vanished. I stared right into her eyes as I spoke. "Forget about me ok? Walk away and forget that any of this ever happened. Go on with your life and find yourself a nice boring mortal who isn't going to end up killing you" her eyes lost their focus. Her expression was blank. "Go" I ordered stepping aside to let her walk away. She stood there looking dazed.  
**_Oh yeah. _**I snapped my fingers right in front of her face. She came to instantly, looked everywhere but at me and walked away with a look that said she had no idea how she'd gotten here. She reached the street corner and disappeared without a backward glance. I stared at my fingers trying to see the power they seemed to have. I had been right. Hypnosis, number two on my list of cliché vampire powers. Check.  
"Ok" I said aloud to no one in particular "time to meet this guy and see if he'll help me." To be honest I wasn't particularly hopeful. If he was a mortal then he would probably just think I was crazy, or else try and stake me. And if he was a demigod then he would believe me. _Then _stake me just for being a monster. Either scenario seemed to result in me getting shish-kebabed, which I really didn't want.

Deep breaths. I turned back to the shop. The place could have done with some TLC. It had peeling paint and the window in the front door was cracked. It actually reminded me a little of the Hermes cabin back at camp. A memory that hurt, like all the others. The place was dimly lit and even with my enhanced vision I couldn't see any occupants through the windows. I wondered for a moment if they were closed until I noticed the sign on the door stating that they were open until 9pm on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Well today was Tuesday and it was only 7:30 so where was he? Shifting from sight to sound I listened and through the thin glass I could make out weird choral music from somewhere inside the store along with the sounds of movement.  
**_So there is someone here. _**My natural instinct would of course been to simply walk in. Lesson learned though; I couldn't do that anymore. So instead I banged on the door. No response. I banged again. Nothing. I whacked the door with considerably more force. It shuddered, several more paint chips flaked off and the small crack in the window spread from top to bottom. Inside a voice yelled out, getting louder as the speaker drew near.  
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Oh Jesus Christ did you have to break the fucking door? That's gonna cost, uncle T is gonna kill me" There was the click of a lock being released and the door swung open "yeah what?" Then he actually looked at me "oh" he said, lamely.

"Sorry about that" I apologised, attempting to sound sincere without cringing in discomfort. He was wearing silver somewhere and I could sense it "I couldn't tell if you were open" he glanced, with some scepticism at the opening times still taped to the door  
"According to this we are"  
"I can see that. It's just that I couldn't see if there was anyone here and your door was locked"  
his sarcastic response just pissed me off "maybe to keep out maniacs who try to bash it down?"  
I had to grit my teeth. I hadn't even made it past the door and already this jerk was making things harder than they needed to be. I had another problem, if this guy was as knowledgeable of vampires as Hecate hade claimed then just asking to enter might alert hiss suspicions "Are you just going to stand there all night or are you going to actually come in and buy something?"  
**_I'm amazed you get anyone in here with that kind of customer service.  
_**"Can I?" I asked.  
"Only if you don't ask anymore stupid questions" he said moving away from the door "you albino weirdo" invitation gained I followed him in. If this was the guy he wasn't what I had expected. I had imagined some goth kid with greasy black hair hanging down in his eyes but this guy looked like your run of the mill school nerd. He was shorter than me, with thick rimmed glasses and short brown hair. There was something weird about him though. His clothes were baggy and he had dark bags under his eyes as though he hadn't slept in days. He was also skinny, like really skinny. I don't like the term anorexic and I would never use it lightly but, I swear, this guy was in men's extra small and they still looked too big for him.

He didn't stick around to talk and disappeared into the back of the shop, leaving me to ponder my approach. Whilst I did I glanced around at what was on display. There was a set of shelves lined with plastic tubs that were filled with weird looking ingredients. I assumed for making potions or something. Most were herbs and plants but I didn't like the collection of small silk bags that apparently contained bat hearts. There were statuettes of dragons and fairies and other mythological stuff that were probably associated with paganism or something but meant nothing to me. Set into the counter was a glass case filled with small knives and daggers that looked equal parts cool and impractical. Finally there was a whole wall dedicated to books bound in heavy covers that I assumed were spell tomes or something. After a few minutes the boy returned, looking bored "anything to your taste _sir_" I got the feeling he couldn't care less.  
"No not really" I moved closer. Not too close, if he whipped out any silver I didn't want to be within striking distance "I was actually looking for you."  
"Oh really" he still sounded bored, leaning against the counter with his head propped in one hand.  
"Yeah you're Edwards right?"  
Knowing his name at least seemed to get his attention "what if I am?"  
"Well the word is you know everything there is to about vampires" and like that I lost him again.  
"Ok what is this?" he demanded. He squinted through the window as though he expected someone to be looking back. "Did those assholes on the football team put you up to this?" He came out from behind the counter heading for the door.  
I was confused "wait what?"  
He opened the door yelling into the night "Grieger you prick! Give it a rest already"  
"Go back inside you moron!" yelled a pedestrian on the other side of the road.  
"uhhh, oh" he came back looking embarrassed at there being no one outside. He was slightly red and I could actually sense the blood as it rushed to the surface of his cheeks.

"So if you're not with the brainless wonders then why are you here?" he asked a little of the snarkiness gone from his tone now. His eyes narrowed again "you're not one of those wannabe exorcists who run around with garlic staking people just because they're out past eleven are you?"  
The stupidity of the question almost forced a smile from me "what are you talking about?"  
He shrugged "I've had those in here to"  
"Really? Well I hope none wander in here now or I'm screwed" I joked. And it was that joke that screwed me over.  
"Ok, what are _you _talking about?" he asked, a searching look in his eyes. It reminded me of the look Annabeth had on her face when trying to figure an enemy out. I didn't have long on that thought though almost as soon as I saw it, it was gone to be replaced with incredulity. "Oh no, you've got to be kidding!" he breathed. Then he collapsed into a chair laughing "this is better than a wannabe Van Hellsing. I've got a fucking wannabe Dracula!" His words and the fact that he had the guts to laugh in my face pissed me off more effectively than five minutes in a room with Ares. To add to my anger he pushed himself out of his chair and started heading for the door, dismissing me entirely "I'm done" he gasped as his laughing subsided.  
"Where do you think you're going?" I demanded.  
"Away from you"  
Panic supplanted anger for a moment "No you can't I need your help!"  
"Sorry but we don't sell bagged blood here" he mocked. Opening the door he threw the last insult over his shoulder at me "you might try the local hospital, or better yet an asylum. I'm sure your new cell mate will be glad to let you take a bite out of him once you're commited!" He slammed the door.

I snapped. **_I am so sick of this shit! _**The anger that would once have been totally unlike me was rising and I was starting to see red again.  
"YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" I roared and grabbed the door handle with the intention of yanking the door open. Instead I ripped the door right off its hinges and it crashed to the floor. On the other side of the portal stood Edwards his eyes wide in astonishment.  
"What the fuck?" he breathed. He blinked and it seemed to dispel the shock, turning to flee. Not that he got anywhere. He was barely inside the door frame and before he could even take a step I grabbed his shirt collar. I yanked and with a strangled "hrk" he was dragged backwards. He landed on his rear and skidded right across the shop, crashing into the far wall. Somehow the impact didn't knock him unconscious, unfortunately it didn't shut him up either.  
"Ow, fuck! You psycho what's you fucking problem?" he tried to push himself up but he was still dazed and slid to the floor again.  
"My problem?" I growled, unable to believe he had the nerve to carry on running his mouth "my problem is that I come in here, just to get some help and this lanky little piece of shit excuse for a human being laughs in my face and thinks he can dismiss me as some kind of lunatic!" The rage was real now, I was _actually _seeing red. It tinted my vision making everything appear coated with blood and with it came another desire. One I had tried to ignore before but now it was screaming at me. I felt the urge to hunt, to kill this pathetic thing in front of me. Tear him apart and drink what's left through a straw. And what was worse, I wanted to follow that urge, it suddenly sounded like fun. He could see it in my eyes too.

"Holy shit! You're really a . . . oh god!" he tried to get away scrabbling sideways along the wall.  
**_This is pitiful _**I thought **_no fun at all. _**I lunged at him, forgetting my own speed, and instead of making contact with my prey I crashed into the wall where it had been cowering seconds before and causing a shelf to drop its contents on my head, which just served to piss me off further. I turned hissing like a demon (which I suppose I am) and he actually screamed. I could smell the abject terror, it was exciting. My prey knew it was going to die and that just made me want to kill it more. It was scrabbling away again, towards the front door.  
**_Don't think so_**. I vaulted the counter easily and made it to the door just as he reached it "going somewhere?" I taunted twisting the lock and snapping the handle off as though it were made of flimsy plastic "we don't even know each other's names and you're running out on me?" I reached down and grabbed him by the throat, hoisting him aloft easily.  
**_This mortal isn't worth the blood in his viens _**I thought contemptuously **_I should just kill him. I'm sure I can figure this out by myself._** He was choking now, beating feebly against my hand, trying to get me to release my grip. **_This sucks. Suppose I should just drink him and be done with it._** I opened my mouth and the ache in my gums grew momentarily as my incisors lengthened even further. His eyes bugged, either from lack of air or at my teeth, I didn't really care. As I drew him in closer his hand slipped lower and I thought he was on the verge of passing out.

Too late I realised there was something else around his neck other than my hand. He ripped it from within his shirt and flung it at my face. When the silver cross struck me it burned as though I had just been branded, making me roar in agony. I flung the mortal aside and clutched at my face where the silver had struck. The pain quickly began to subside. The actual silver content in the cross must have been low, but it did have a side effect; it took the fight with it as it went. It was only as my desire to rip something to shreds receded that I began to realise what i was doing. As my vision returned to normal I could see, with clear eyes, what I had done and it sickened me to my core. I had almost destroyed the shop and nearly killed the one person who might be able to help me because I had lost a temper that I didn't even know I had. I shook my head to clear the last of the monstrous influence from my mind. The silver crucifix lay on the ground at my feet. Just the sight of it made my stomach churn so I stepped quickly away. My first priority after that was checking on Edwards. He hadn't moved since I had sent him crashing into the counter. I approached slowly, in part because I was worried he wasn't really out and might be hiding more silver somewhere and in part because I didn't yet trust myself not to do anything stupid. I nudged him with the toe of my boot.  
"Hey, you alright?" I asked. When he didn't give a response I crouched next to him. I placed two fingers against his neck, searching for a pulse. It was there, he wasn't dead. I withdrew my hand quickly before I could have any unsavoury thoughts. "Hey kid wake up!" I ordered stupidly. I shook his shoulder and he keeled over sideways unconscious.  
**_Great._**

He came back to consciousness in the bedroom of the over shop flat three hours later. I was sitting in a corner of the room in the chair I had brought up from the shop. He sat up right slowly and squinted around in the dark. Hecate hadn't been wrong about black clothing. His thick curtains prevented virtually any moonlight from getting in, yet even in the tiny amount there was I could see perfectly and he couldn't see me. His eyes travelled right over me before he stumbled out of bed and groped for the light switch. He flicked it on and turned back to the room. He spotted me sitting in the corner. To his credit he didn't scream this time, just froze like a rabbit caught in the headlights, staring at me. He stayed like that for at least half a minute.  
"You know" I joked casually, just to break the tension "if there's a myth that says a vampire's vision is based on movement I can tell you that it isn't true". He unfroze at that but only in so much that his hand began groping for the doorknob.  
"Hold on" I said quickly "I'm not going to. . ." then he had the door open and had vanished down the stairs "aaaand he's gone" I finished to myself. With a sigh I pushed myself out of the chair and wandered downstairs, hands in pockets. Why rush? I'd broken the lock earlier. I found him at the front door desperately trying to yank the thing open. I was lucky our confrontation hadn't broken any windows or he might have run for help by now. I ambled up behind him and leaned nonchalantly against the counter waiting for him to notice me.

When he finally turned and spotted me he immediately dove to the floor and came up holding the crucifix from earlier. He raised it defensively his arms shaking with violent fear spasms.  
**_Damn _**I thought **_I wish I'd kicked that thing into a corner or something. _**Sure I'd easily be able to overpower him but I'd have to touch that cross again and I had no desire to feel that kind of pain again anytime soon. Besides if he thought he had the upper hand then he might be more inclined to listen. I took my hands out of my pockets and raised them in a gesture of surrender.  
"okay man, calm down. No need to go waving that thing around."  
"What are you?"  
**_That's what I'm here to ask you._**  
I let my hands drop "uh, a vampire?" I asked sarcastically.  
"No, no you're not. You can't be"  
"Why not?"  
"Because they're not real!"  
"This coming from the guy who's supposed to be an expert. If they're not real then what does that make me?"  
"I don't know! But you can't be a vampire, they're not real. I mean, I wanted to think they were real but I never actually believed they were"  
"And you'd be right" I agreed.  
"What?"  
"well you see that's actually why I'm here" I pushed myself off the counter, slipping my hands back into my pockets "see I'm kind of the _only _vampire, the first I guess"  
"What?"  
**_Geez for a smart guy he seriously needs to get a vocabulary.  
_**"I'm the first true vampire in history. Apparently"  
Now he seemed less scared and more curious and he let his guard down slightly. I took the opportunity to step forward but he immediately raised the cross again.

"What does that have to do with me?" he asked.  
"well my uh"  
**_what do vamp nerds call them?  
_**"my uh sire? Yeah. She said that you'd be able to help me figure some stuff out"  
_"Some stuff?"_ he asked with a touch of sarcasm.  
I gritted my teeth in irritation "yeah, _some stuff_" I responded.  
"So you came to ask me to help you?"  
"She told me to come find you, it wasn't my decision"  
"And you thought the best way to ask would be to destroy my uncle's shop and try to kill me?"  
For some reason when he said it out loud it actually embarrassed me "Yeah, sorry about that, but you accusing me of being insane didn't help"  
"Well, what did you expect me to think?" he bristled.  
**_Calm _**I told myself, don't lose it again.  
"I had hoped you would at least have given me a chance to explain"  
"Well maybe if you'd spoken plain English instead of making a complete tool of yourself that would have happened"  
**_Calm, stay calm_**  
I attempted an embarrassed grin "yeah, I've never been much good at communicating"  
"You don't say?" he mocked. He suddenly clutched his head, moaning in pain and staggered. I started forward on instinct but he held out the cross "stay away from me!"  
"Dude I'm just trying to help. You need to lie down before you hurt yourself"  
"I'm fine" he insisted weakly  
"No you're not" I said firmly "I left you some water upstairs. You should go back have a drink and lie down"  
"I don't need any . . ." he didn't finish because his legs buckled and this time he really did collapse.  
I looked down at him unable to hide a smirk "don't need any huh? Come on man, I'm surprised you even managed to get out of bed let alone down the stairs. Let me help you"  
He was silent for a moment, then he huffed loudly "fine" he grunted. I grabbed his arm and hauled him across my shoulder, lifting him to his feet. In his other hand he still held the crucifix. "Try to bite me and I swear I'm going to jam this right in your eye" he muttered. The mental image actually made me wince.

Once I got him back to his room I dumped him on the bed where he drained the glass (several times, I had to go refill it) before propping himself up and staring at me intently.  
"So let me make sure I've got this straight" he said  
"shoot"  
"Vampires as we think of them didn't exist but now they do?"  
"Yep"  
"You are the first and you need my help to figure out how much of what humans think about vampires is true?"  
"uh-huh"  
"Because you don't actually know yourself?"  
"unfortunately"  
"Ok" he drained the glass one final time and pushed his glasses up his nose "so that's what you need from me. But what do I get?"  
**_I don't drain you and leave you a withered husk _**part of me thought maliciously.  
"Call it a research opportunity. You'll be the only person in the world who has ever met and studied a _real _vampire" the spark in his eye told me the idea had him hooked, but he was smart.  
"How do I know you won't just drain me in my sleep or something?" The question made me think. He had a point.  
**_How do_ I_ know I won't do that?_**  
"You don't" I told him bluntly "neither do I but . . ." I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out the little box I had been carrying since before I died "this means a lot to me, like a _lot_. If something happened to it, well" I handed it to him "you can take it and hide it as a sort of insurance policy"  
He took the box and opened it, whistling appreciatively on seeing what was inside "I see." It was a pointless gesture really. I could easily hypnotise the location out of him or, failing that, probably beat it out of him but I wanted him to trust me. I wasn't going to get anywhere if he was constantly expecting to wind up dead. He stared at the box's contents a moment longer before snapping it shut. "Alright vampire, you've got a deal"  
"Thanks, but please don't call me that. The name's Percy"  
He snorted "Percy? Not a very Vampiric name. Anyway I'm Cole"  
"Nice to meet you Cole" I put out a hand for him to shake.  
He took it briefly and shook before just as quickly withdrawing it "first myth proved, ice cold skin" he shuddered "this is already creepy"  
"Thanks very much" I huffed.  
"No problem" he said with a smirk "anyway, come on" he pushed himself off the bed and moved to another door off his bedroom "let's find out what you can do"


End file.
